Arctic_Princess

From the desk of Katarin-Marie Bromovich

Fellow heroes, another call to arms has been mustered and this time it is Hero Operative Moonfire who seeks our help.

Moonfire, as you may already know, is a Peacebringer Kheldian and she has news of a new plot to overthrow the City by an evil faction of Warshade Council!

Please, I urge all heroes with a Security Clearance of between 23-28 to join me on Striga Island on Saturday, 9th September at 1050 hours, to begin the tasks at hand at 1100 hours.

Paragon Expects!

[SIGNED]

Katarin-Marie Bromovich
Minister for The Workers of Eastern Europe

__________________________________________________ __________

((The usual rules apply - sidekicks will be provided where appropriate. For those not already in the know, Kata is a level 43 Scrapper (Katana/Super Reflexes). You will be auto-exemped down to level 28 if you exceed the level cap of the Task Force.

For those wishing to build up their 'strength' for Citadel (no doubt happening a couple of weeks after this one ) - be warned! Moonfire and Citadel are Council-slog heavy.

It will, however, be a chance to grab those Slayer and Silver Bullet badges - along with Honorary Peacebringer upon completion.

In Synapse and Sister Psyche quite a number of the 'within level range' participants scored double dings but, more importantly I feel, we all had fun. The usual piccies with Moonfire after the event will take place.

Hope to see you there!

*caves in to deserved pressure*

Right, after Hot and Demon have made the same suggestion (and they seem like nice people ):

The next TF will be Moonfire - levels 23-28

I won;t set the date yet but, rest assured, it'll be before the end of August (I know, I'm fickle and prone to mind-changing!)

Watch the new space, when it appears...

))

And another, far-less-used but much-fun alt - Whirling Dervish

1. Are you male or female? Ma Baker
2. Describe yourself? Brown Girl In The Ring
3. Describe how you live? Have You Ever Seen The Rain?
4. Describe your boy/girlfriend? Young, Free and Single
5. How do you feel about yourself? Children of Paradise
6. Where would you rather be? Rivers of Babylon
7. Describe what you want to be? Gotta Go Home
8. Describe how you love? Lovin' or Leavin'
9. How do some people feel about you? Heart of Gold
10. Share a few words of wisdom? Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night

((Agent Haven has the Spelunker mission and Arctic Princess has the Emancipator mission (despite already having the badge - I have the Double XP weekend to thank for that )

With regards to Spelunker I am quite happy to do the mission for no xp, considering the gravity of the badge on offer. Plus, Agent isn't exactly a main character although I hope to play him more often in the future.

Emancipator (Psychic Clockwork mission) is level 42 - difficulty to be decided dependent on the levels and sidekicks needed to take it on.

I thought I'd advertise on Roleplaying first as I have teamed with many of you before and it'd be a nice diversion. Post the usual details here and then we can decide when to do these missions.))

((excellent screen-shots there Hot Head - and DemonD - not to worry! Citadel is unlikely to be in the next couple of weeks. I'm thinking of 'announcing' it just before those who go to school/college/uni, and play this wonderful game, go back - I've been told that Citadel can be a little bit of a slog-a-thon but it would be nice to do something like that before normality returns for a larger portion of the community.

So, it would be handy for anyone reading this and interested in doing the TF (Citadel, levels 25-30) in the near-ish future to give me a rough date for your first day back at school/college/uni.

As in previous TFs the day will be either a Saturday or a Sunday and most likely be an 11am start (although I've been pretty darned bad at getting there in time AND having a free mission slot to start it... ))

Arctic Princess

1. Are you male or female? Who's That Girl?
2. Describe yourself? Wide-Eyed Girl
3. Describe how you live? This City Never Sleeps
4. Describe your boy/girlfriend? I Need A Man
5. How do you feel about yourself? Lifted
6. Where would you rather be? Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
7. Describe what you want to be? I Saved The World Today
8. Describe how you love? Love Is A Stranger
9. How do some people feel about you? Beautiful Child
10. Share a few words of wisdom? Keep Young and Beautiful (technically not a song from my chosen band for AP but sung by the lead singer on their first solo album).

I agree with Zortel on this. I kept thinking of songs and then realising that they were all performed by different artists and bands. But still, it was fun to do.

((Just realised that I didn't properly congratulate everyone - thank you to all involved. The next three 'Freedom Phalanx' Task Forces look even heavier on the slog than Positron was!

But, rest assured, Kata will be calling heroes to arms in the near future! ))

And here's my edited screenie of Task Force Oracle - completed in about 3 hours and twenty (we had more breaks :P)

Task Force Oracle Complete!


Expect Citadel soon-ish

))

[ QUOTE ]
Are you planning to fight +7s?


[/ QUOTE ]

*eyes go all misty* [img]/uk/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Thank you all for your positive and helpful responses. I've always been a bit 'scared' of playing an empath - similarly tanking scares me because I've teamed with excellent tanks and empath defenders/controllers before - so even though I've got more experience at playing than my friend, I feel like a total amateur atm.

*toddles off to the Hero Builder to make some adjustments!*

Right a quick question!

How is Fortitude best slotted?

I'm introducing a friend to CoH and he wants to tank so I thought to myself that it would be the perfect opportunity to do that 'pure empath' build I've been wanting to do since I got the game.

The character, Metys, is a Magic Defender: Empathy/Rad Blast

I intend to take only Proton Volley on the secondary because, well, I want a total empath build. However, when slotting Fortitude I'm a little stumped. I plan to take Leadership, Fitness and Teleport.

So far I've come up with this rough slotting of it on the Sherksilver Hero Planner:

Fortitude: Defence Buff x 2 + To Hit Buff x 2

I didn't think it needed the recharge and as for range, I intend to slap it on my friend and any others who require it before they enter battle.

For comparison, said friend is playing a Magic Tanker (Fire/Energy) - hence choosing a secondary that can reduce a target's defence when it hits and obviously he'll be needing a bit of extra fortification - especially before her gets his anti-mez [img]/uk/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Thoughts and suggestions welcome!

((Really nice work Pyr - cool. Do we get action dolls too? *closes his eyes and thinks happy thoughts*))

*prepares an online, digitally-remastered cake for the Task Force on Saturday*

You will be missed but, like all the good ones, you'll be back. I'm looking forward to Saturday - it'll be the chance to work alongside a legend [img]/uk/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

((Oops, yes - SATURDAY! [img]/uk/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] - sorry for any confusion there. *blushes and walks off, whistling* ))

Current Roster

Comrades!

I am pleased to report that the current roster, in preparation for Sunday's Task Force is as follows:

Ana 'Firebrand' Mueller
Arctic Princess
Demon of Darkness (or, in his absence, Lady Leprechaun)
Freaky Shnyet
Mother's Love
Shen-Lung
Starlit Spirit

There is potentially room for one more ally in our fight against the Freakshow.

I would ask all listed operatives to 'put the word out' amongst their friends. The more, the merrier!

Thank you.

[SIGNED]

Katarin-Marie Bromovich

Lovely work there - it was a good story executed with finesse [img]/uk/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

And thanks for the clicky - this may well come in useful for a website I'd like to design!

((Apologies in advance if this post doesn;t 'come off' as intended. I'm rubbish at posting links!

Just a little fun I had with Paint and screenshots...

Kata's Fight in the Nephous Quadrant

and in case that didn't work:

[image]http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i61/lord_ionos/NephousFight.jpg[/image]

For anyone that's interested - here are some poorly edited screenshots with naff captions...

[image]http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i61/lord_ionos/HEROESUNITE.jpg[/image]
[image]http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i61/lord_ionos/Teamtalk.jpg[/image]
[image]http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i61/lord_ionos/TaskForceTornadoComplete.jpg[/image]
[image]http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i61/lord_ionos/BattlingTheClockworkKing.jpg[/image]

It's amazing what the mind does when it's bored!

Thanks to Hot_Head for the pictures!

From the desk of Katarin-Marie Bromovich

The Freakshow are causing some sort of disturbance and Sister Psyche knows something about it.

She has contacted me, thankfully through the normal channels, asking if I would organise a group of heroes who are determined to stop whatever those metal-heads are up to!

So, a call to arms is going out to heroes who wish to help. Due to the threat posed by The Freakshow, only hero operatives with a security clearance of 20 and upwards will be considered for active duty.

I will be meeting with Paragon's mighty psychic at 1050 hours to begin our task at 1100 hours.

I suggest that all participants arrive ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead.

Thank you for your time.

[SIGNED]

Katarin-Marie Bromovich, Minister of The Workers of Eastern Europe

__________________________________________________ __________

((Sister Psyche's Task Force is in the level range 20 to 26

Any heroes above 26 will be auto-exemped down and unable to use their powers/slots chosen at level 27 and beyond. Should there be a variation of levels within the team, sidekicks will be arranged if possible.

This is a handy Task Force for badge-hunters and influence junkies too! - Tank Smasher, Sister Psyche's Comrade and a Gladiator Badge (I'm guessing it's another Freak but not sure) - not to mention the usual Damage, Sidekick, Influence and even Debt badges (though, of course, faceplants are unlikely to happen [img]/uk/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img])

Kata is known to the hero community as Arctic Princess and is a Natural Scrapper - Katana / Super Relfexes

We try to RP some of the Task Force but please do not think this is an RP-only event. All-comers are welcome and it's a good chance to see some interesting content and have a laugh.

Having done Positron and Synapse with great success, there will be the occasional comfort break added in which always seems to go down well! [img]/uk/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Perez Park, Sunday 6th August - 0200 hours

Well, no more dopplegangers or unwilling soldiers to fight, Kata mused to herself.

All around her the trees were ablaze: Some heroes were valiantly trying to put out the flames but to Kata they all looked alike: Just another mask and cape.

Her thoughts turned to the men she had rescued who were currently recovering back at Freedom Corps. At the rate the battle was going here they wouldn't be seeing home for months. The robot warrior she had helped to create wasn't doing the damage she thought it would. In fact some of the newer heroes to the city, rushing to the front line, often attempted to derail it thinking it was just another Council weapon. But, it had protected a lot of people from harm and that was no small feat. Plus Zoullar and Gregor seemed happy enough...

Kata breathed in the air, thick with oil smoke and the tiniest tang of blood. She looked at the scene again as if standing outside of time and let her shoulders drop. It could be such a depressing place to live, Paragon City - who was she kidding? This World is a depressing place in which to live.
So, that was her mind made up. She'd travel but not necessarily in the way she had intended. The doubts she had expressed at that first, great meeting in Space, aboard Victoria Station seemed laughable now: How she felt her skills would be more beneficial to remain 'earth-bound'. Ha!

Kata let her head turn away from the pointless violence, removed as she was from it all now her mind had been fully made up. Her body followed and she walked, dream-like, back to Steel Canyon and to the woman who would be her ticket to a thousand worlds.

***

Steel Canyon, 0215 hours

"I'm back."

Kata faced herself, looking at the woman she might have been.

"Well, you've certainly got more of a knack with clothing than me." She smiled, noticing how the Council uniform had been stripped of its emblems and how the woman had tied her hair back, the way she used to wear it.

"Are you sure?" Kata still couldn't get over hearing her own voice like that. She nodded in response and picked up a backpack stuffed with provisions and the like. The other woman did the same.

They walked through the streets of Steel Canyon together, never looking back at the conspicuous building they had both been effectively living in for the past week. Kata noticed a litter bin on the pavement and, with little thought for consequence, dropped her star-shaped communicator in it. If she was going to start a new life then she had better do it now.

***

Peregrine Island, 0300 hours

The dream continued - everywhere was chaotic and Peacebringers flew overhead, carrying odd bits of machinery and, on a few occasions, people.
The two women walked through the chaos as if they were taking a gentle Sunday stroll which, depending on your perspective, they were. Kata and her companion stopped outside of the Portal Corps building.

"This is the place? Inside here?"

The woman shook her head.

"Not inside but round the back of the complex. We came in here and were moved to the reactor, where you found us. I cannot believe I am about to do this." The woman was nervous, almost excited by the prospect of what they were about to do.

Without further conversation they made their way behind the complex. These were not the portals Kata had seen in footage of the Rikti Invasion - to her they looked like rips in the air; colours danced around the edges and made her eyes water when she found herself staring at them for too long.

They exchanged glances and lowered their heads, not wishing to look directly into the light that streamed out of the portal. Kata felt warmth and then a chill colder than a Siberian winter. Her brain felt twisted and she thought she could hear voices all around her, nothing familiar although... past conversations, banal and inconsequential, came to her. Here, in this void of time and space, she could understand things a little better and her memories flooded back - all of them.

She saw her companion as a ghost-like creature, shimmering beside her. They reached out to grab each other's hand and Kata risked looking back - nothing. Just light. The woman's lips moved as if speaking but it seemed that this was a purely mental realm where physical action had little meaning. Kata lost herself in the light and willed her body onwards to its destination.

***

Steel Canyon, 0309 hours

A star-shaped transmitter bursts into life. To the passer-by a static sound is heard but if anyone was to put their hand in the bin, lift it out and put it to their ear, they would hear everything that had ever been through the mind of Katarin-Marie Bromovich: All the lies and deceptions, half-truths and cover-ups - and all the goodness that was in her; all the things she ever wanted to achieve for the betterment of herself and others.

But no-one is there to listen. At 0900 hours, Katarin-Marie Bromovich will be pronounced MIA. Perhaps a service will be held in her honour, but that was never her style. So ends another life in The War Against Requiem.

Our friendly hacker has done it again

I've PMd Leif Roar to see if he can sort it out.

Monday Night, Paragon Dance Party

Kata left the abandoned dance club, safe in the knowledge that her captive would not escape. She herself had too many questions in her mind:

What if this one is telling the truth? What if beyond one of those portals lies a place where a woman like me can really make a difference?

Kata's armour had lost its shine, her eyes told the story of how her body really felt despite her striding pace towards Perez. She ignored the old tramp who, after being 'moved on' by Paragon's finest, had now thought it safe enough to return to his spot near the door of the club. Besides, who had the time right now to argue?

***

Perez Park

"You gotta get out of here girlie. Them Council goons is nuts!" screamed a Hellion thug as he dived for the relative safety of the Steel Canyon gate.

"Hey, you!" a nervous policeman shouted after him.

"Don't worry, officer. There are plenty of heroes back there who can arrest him if they have the time or inclination. You may not have noticed but we have a little situation here." Kata's tone was arrogant yet commanding. "And officer, may I have the use of your firearm?"

"Hey, you're that Princess lady, ain't ya?"

"I am indeed. But you can call me-" she hesitated, searching for the correct title, "-Miss Bromovich." Kata pointed to the man's rifle and looked him in the eye, "Your weapon, sir?"

It was a simple, psychological trick that she had often used as a CIA agent on drugs busts. Take command, keep eye contact and make the other person feel as if you were the only voice in the World worth listening to. She chuckled to herself: Perhaps this will turn out to be fun after all

Armed with a medium-range rifle, Kata thanked the poor man and made off for the treetops, switching on her armour's ability to store energy and propel her to the heady heights. The first group she encountered was flanked by a line of Zenith Hoverbots, their incessant beeping providing a useful distraction to the guards at the centre of the group. Taking careful aim she managed to knock three of them into each other, the resulting explosion causing a fire to spread amongst the canopy of leaves and panicking her real quarry - the human threats with guns and who knows what else.
Kata felt her mind focus into a sharp point, the way she always felt in battle, casting aside distraction and closing in on her prey. The men and, quite possibly women, inside those armoured suits were no match for her fists and the lightweight gun which she used like her old sword, swiping at vulnerable body parts.
One of the goons had a flamethrower but, with a stroke of luck, the canister of compressed gas fell to the floor as he reached for the trigger. Perhaps these minions were from a dimension where the Council wasn't quite the multi-billion dollar organisation it was here? The two soldiers who had managed to remain conscious after Kata's assault confirmed her suspicions that Requiem was not the well-resourced being everyone thought he was:

"Please! Stop! Do not kill us! We...we are not fighters. We were forced to put on these costumes and carry guns. Our families were threatened. Please! You have to believe us!"

"And why should I do that? You're wearing Council uniforms. You had those annoying robot guards with you. Tell me why I shouldn't knock you out and throw you into prison?"

The 'soldier' cowered in fear.

"Remove your helmet and drop your weapons!" Kata barked.

Overhead a group of heroes were engaged in a dogfight with two flying Mech Men. The two men took off their helmets revealing scarred faces.

"They captured our King. King Ridolfo. A man came to the villages around his castle, he looked exactly like King Ridolfo, except for his eyes."

Both men shivered and looked at their feet.

"They had weapons we had never seen before. They overpowered us, we had no chance. We only know how to fight with stones and fire. Please do not throw us in prison."

The man looked up at Kata pleadingly and touched the weals on his face. "They beat us and threw us in the castle dungeon. We were left for dead, or so it seemed. It must have been several weeks before they came and told us we were going to fight for them against a great evil."

He stopped for a moment looking sadly at his hands. "Our people are proud and some of the men could not bear to help these creatures so they...they took their own lives."

The man who was speaking began to cry, sobbing tears of desperation. His friend comforted him. So that explained why one woman without superpowers could outwit a group of Council soldiers. Kata looked at the fallen men around her.

"Are they your friends?" Her tone was soft now, comforting and coaxing.

The comforting man nodded, apparently unable to speak. His charge continued to sob a little quieter. Why can't this be simple? She thought.

"I can help you. I am Kata Bromovich. Here in this city I am a hero. We are fighting a war against Requiem, the man who looks like your King. We were not aware of your involvement in this. I apologise for attacking you but-"

"It is all right, Lady Kata." The previously silent man's voice was strong, despite the circumstances. He attempted a smile but the scars on his face proved too painful.

"In times of war many things are done that we may later regret. But from warrior to warrior, we must not let that get in the way of the thing we have to do."

Kata sighed, partly out of relief and partly out of pity for these poor men. She remembered the stories of the Soviet work camps and how she had felt ashamed when she learned about the attrocities that were committed there. But the strong man before her, who continued to comfort his friend, was right: Now was not the time to think and be melancholy.

"I would like to escort you to the relative safety of the city. I am not a lone hero here. I have friends who will be able to take care of you and, hopefully, when this is over, we will be able to return you home safely." Kata smiled and the two men responded as she hoped they would.

"Come, this way, I can carry one of you down at a time."

"But our friends, our compatriots!" The crying man was obviously close to all of them.

"Do not worry about that. I have some friends here right now who will gladly pick them up. Come."

And with that Kata led her two charges down from the treetops and back through Steel Canyon to Galaxy City.

***

On the long train journey back she found out that the crying man was called Vincent and his strong friend went by the name of Paulo. She explained a little about Paragon City and pointed out the various statues and city sights as they passed them. Then when they alighted at Galaxy City, Kata led them to the Freedom Corps building and asked them to wait in the foyer.

"Miss Bromovich, so nice to see you again. It has been far too long." Susan Davies had been Kata's first contact in the city, at the beginning of her so far surprising and illustrious career as a hero.

"I have a favour to ask. Would you care to put up the two gentlemen waiting in the foyer? They are a little confused at the moment. I found them in Perez."

"How is it going, the battle?"

"Oh, so you are aware?" Kata was genuinely surprised although she felt foolish when Susan replied.

"A little, magical birdy by the name of Azuria got the message out. Apparently it's not just you she's been teleporting all over the city. Rumour has it that the Phalanx are preparing a counter-strike. E.L.I.T.E.'s switchboard has been overrun with telephone calls from operatives across the globe. Emails, faxes, even a telegram from Siberia. We haven't seen anything like this since-"

"The Rikti Invasion, I know."

"If you need to make it back to Minsk, you only need say the word." Susan studied her old student's face carefully, noticing the tired eyes and the odd fleck of blood on her shoulder-plate.

"No, I am needed here. Spetznatz and Red Force are more-than-equipped to deal with the likes of Requiem's forces."

Susan nodded. "Well, where are these fine gentlemen?"

"This way Susan. And, don't be alarmed by their clothes. They are dimensional refugees."

The two women walked with purpose to the foyer and Kata was glad of another non-meta to talk to. Normality could be sought in the most unlikely of places, or so it seemed.

***

Perez Park

An incredibly large robot stomped its way through the trees followed by an insanely happy (in his own way) alien engineer, carrying an arguably unhinged Russian I.T. expert in his arms.

"Kata!" yelled Gregor above the roar of the mechanical beast. "Good news. We've cleared Bettis Hills for now. We received some interesting looks from a group of heroes but Zoullar here flashed them his Hero I.D. and they joined up with us!"

"Have you had cause to activate the energy barrier yet?" Kata replied, straining to get her voice above the noise.

"No, thank goodness. No falling buildings just yet. My word, this hero-ing business is fun! Perhaps I should give up the day job and don a spandex jumpsuit?!" Gregor laughed like a bear. Zoullar grimaced which made Kata giggle.

"You're doing fine Gregor. Just don't let your head inflate any more, eh?" Kata grinned.

"So, why did you call us?" Gregor asked.

"I need you to deliver some refugees to Freedom Corps in Galaxy City." Before she received a thorough grilling, which she was too tired for, Kata added, "It's a long story, Gregor."

"Well, where are they Princess?"

"I was hoping Zoullar could locate them. Zoullar! Can you trace a mental image?"

I think so, although it's not the easiest task. I'd probably mess it up anyway. Kata explained, via her thoughts, that she had encountered the group of soldiers by the Steel Canyon gate.

They will most likely be scarred underneath their headgear. Oh and Zoullar?

Yes Kata?

I have every faith in you. Now go find them and take them to Freedom Corps. Ask for Susan Davies. She'll know what to do.

Thank you, Kata.

And with that, engineer, giant robot and computer expert stomped off in the rough direction of Steel Canyon.

Kata sighed. Now she'd have to go back to the dance club and see if she could get any more information out of her captive.

((Thanks tyo all who attended and got their shiny badges!

I've now sorted my constant DCing problem at the end (thankfully we had finished the TF itself) so if anyone has a picture of us clustered around Synapse I'd be most appreciative if I could have a copy. PM me for my MSN address.

Arctic Princess
Ana Firebrand
Caterwail
Demon of Darkness
Eskimo Spy
Shen-Lung

6 Heroes are now proud to call themselves Synapse's Cohort, when they fix the Arena we should all get together and re-enact Night of The Living Dead with our shiny new Abomination Gladiator pets!

A big thank you to all those true Heroes who helped us to vanquish Babbage!

Ana would like to thank the Clockwork for giving her the Gearsmasher badge and Kata would like to thank Shen again for being a good pupil and allowing her to take the title of Paragon!

Sister Psyche is a way in the distance but it will be done!

"Understood Doctor. I have detained some 'regular' Council soldiers. I'll ask Mr. Blade to deploy some of his troops to Perez and the rest to Independence Port."

Kata hung up. Her initial excitement at testing out the teleport-jammers was quickly superceded by the knowledge that she wouldn't be able to deploy the giant robot in the way she had wanted. From all accounts Baumton was under control, which left Perez. She made a decision and contacted Gregor and Zoullar over the comms.

***

Two hours later and Kata stood by the gate to Perez, watching the last of the defence force disappear amongst the trees. She looked up at the giant robot, then to Gregor and Zoullar.

"Take care of yourselves. Just keep patrolling - no doubt the gangs will be diving out of your way when they see that thing coming."

The two men nodded and marched off into the park. Kata left to the sound of heavy gunfire and screams and made her way back to Nova Prospekt, allowing herself another smile.

***

"This is Azuria. May I ask of whom I am speaking to?"

Kata replied, giving her hero name. "I need to be teleported from Galaxy City to Terra Volta. Is it possible?"

"Of course. May I ask the nature of your trip?"

Kata thought back to a story Jakob, otherwise known as Red Hammer, had told her: The time he had gone up against the Sky Raiders who had been trying to destroy the reactor core. It was plausible enough.

"Very well, Arctic Princess. I would like to know why you feel unable to make your own travel arrangements, though. As a matter of personal interest."

"I...er - look, the Reactor may be in terrible danger. I must get there as soon as possible." Kata rallied, trying to bluff her way out of a difficult situation.

"Of course. Well, I can perform the teleportation spell now if you wish?"

"Over the phone?"

"Miss Bromovich - magic is a very strong force in this city. You should know."

Before Kata had a chance to reply, or even consider this, she was enveloped in a brilliant white light. When she rematerialised under a silo in the Coroman Manufacturing plant, it took her a few moments to catch her breath. Then it happened - all those times she had been 'ported by colleagues and her body decided that now was the time to do it:

Katarin-Marie Bromovich, known to the public at large as Arctic Princess, resplendent in her golden battle-armour and carrying one of the Red Commissar's spare rifles in place of her battered and blunted sword, threw up.

When Kata looked up, she did so into the barrels of ten Council rifles.

"Put your weapon down!" barked one of the men: He looked the Sergeant type. Kata complied, resting the gun on the floor. Another soldier kicked it away from her.

"Well, what have we here? Little woman decided to come and play hero, eh?" The man's accent was definitely Italian. Perhaps the reality he and his men had come from was one where Requiem had been particularly successful.

The gruff, arrogant sergeant spoke again. "Bromovich, show this little girl here what we think of her."

Kata felt a sense of unease as a soldier stepped forward and removed his mask. She stared directly at hi--

"Oh my--" Kata stared at the woman. Her eyes were a little more drawn than Kata's, and she was somewhat thinner in the face. On the woman's forehead was a branded mark of The Council. Before Kata could even say another word the other woman pursed her lips and spat in her face. The spittle hit Kata on the forehead of her mask and ran down her covered cheek.

The company laughed. Kata felt sick again, but not from being teleported this time - she knew that this was her time. She was facing her doppelganger and only one of them would come out of this alive, if the old story had any element of truth in it.

"Lousy American pig!" snarled the 'other' Bromovich. Her accent was unmistakeable - pure Belarusian.

Kata's eyes flared up. Although she felt weak inside she drummed up the courage to get on her feet. The men surrounding the pair raised their rifles but the Sergeant, sensing an interesting fight, bade them to stop. The two women circled each other, the 'other' Kata cast her rifle aside and spat on the floor by her opponent's feet. Kata II spoke, in Russian:

"Look at you. You are nothing. You are despicable. I would not touch you if you were something on the bottom of my shoe. Why do you not simply turn around and run back to your mother and climb back inside her?"

So it was coming to this, was it? Insults? Well, our Kata could trade insults all night, but she had a much better plan:

"I warn you, I am a powerful psychic." Kata II's eyes narrowed when she heard her adversary speaking Russian. There was something hauntingly familiar about her, too.

"Oh yes? Well then why don't you just crush my mind and be done?"

"I would, but you see Princess, I don't think I have it in me."

Kata II looked a little shaken. Princess? Nobody had called her that since her--

"Father?" Kata continued. "I'm guessing you never got the opportunity to work in the CIA, Katarin-Marie Bromovich. But I'll tell you this for nothing, I bet you lied and cheated and stole your way to the top?" Kata turned her gaze to the Sergeant and the man shuffled his feet uncomfortably. She smiled and nodded. "It is as I thought." Kata tapped the side of her head, noting that her adversary was shaking a little and the company surrounding them were uneasy. She took the opportunity to reach for her back-up weapons in a small, concealed pouch on her left thigh. The small, sharp blades were a comfort.

Kata II's throat was far too dry now. She had been told, as every other soldier in her troop had been, that these Americans were weak. They were unworthy of attention and were to be crushed. Now she was facing a Russian psychic, one who knew all about her. She longed for home, a place which made sense - a place where The Order took care of her and everyone else who was fit enough to serve Requiem.

Kata looked her double straight in the eye and with a swift and graceful movement she pulled back her mask.

"You! You're--" Kata II fell to the floor clutching her throat as an elbow connected with her larynx. Kata grabbed her dirty blonde hair with her right hand and time slowed down:

The men surrounding them were stunned into silence and inaction, giving Kata time to practice her throwing skills. She wrenched her double up by the hair in front of her and fired several blades from her left hand. They found their targets, causing a few of the men to reel away and drop their guns, clutching a bleeding cheek or sliced finger. Kata grabbed her captive firmly and walked slowly backwards, eyeing a dark alleyway. The last thing the men heard was what sounded like their own colleague shouting, "Look behind you, Fascist pigs!"

It was the last thing the men heard purely because when they turned around to look behind them they saw a nightmarish figure - a metal man with facial piercings and what appeared to be a robotic arm with a buzz-saw attached to the end.

"Welcome to Paragon." It said, with a lascivious smile. "Time to get Freaky!"

Steel Canyon, 0500 hours

Wiping sweat from her eyes, Kata checked her equipment once again: Her trusty sword was looking even more battered than usual, tiny flecks of blood visible on the shaft. Her golden battle-armour shone in the early light, reflecting the cluster of bodies that lay before her. Her kit-bag, a battered old Gladstone that smelt now of burnt rubber, containing coils of corded wire, a sharp wire-cutter and a number of 'interesting' devices - It was amazing what you found in Council bases and Sky-Raider hideouts!

Kata cut a long length of the thick cord and began tying the Council soldiers together, intertwining it between limbs and torsos. Then, when she had finished 'packaging' her captives, she attached one of the small devices to the bundled men.
Time to test the theory she thought, grabbing hold of the men and activating her emergency medi-porter...

Nothing! Kata thought she heard a dull beep as the teleportation field failed to activate. Then the device must have kicked in and jammed the signal. The Russian heroine allowed herself a smug smile of satisfaction - not only was she about to unleash the robot on Requiem's troops, she had also managed to prevent The Ziggurat from being overrun by a limitless supply of Council thugs. This war was going to be a lot more fun than she had first thought.

Nova Prospekt - 2200 hours

The hum of the four, brand new computers and the clanging bells of landlines and mobile phones - Kata looked at the television set again, nervously. Still no reports, which meant no panic. She picked up the phone.

"Kata. You paged me?"

"Open the gates, Gregor, it's time to let our baby loose."

She hung up one telephone and picked another one up.

"Kata. I believe we must act now."

"Yes Ana, agreed. Are you charged up, as it were?"

"I can fight if it become necessary. Where are we meeting?"

"Steel Canyon. I'm bringing a friend, or two"

"I will wait at the Southern station. Good luck."

Two more phones were ringing. This time Kata picked them both up.

"Zoullar, CB - It's time. Steel Canyon. Prepare for a struggle."

She hung up before either even had a chance to speak. Now wasn't the time for manners.