((First post after redname again! And another awesome piece of work!))
((Sweet, Awesome post! Also second to post again!))
((questions.... Does she go by "Belle" now that shes an adult? You only use the nickname once, but since you've stuck with the "Izzy/Issabelle" balance up till now, it stands out. It made me take pause for a moment to make sure we were still talking about the same person, especially since the jump in age occured at the same time. I like how it springboards through time... but I hope in future episodes you will go back into her past with more "elaborate" flashbacks. Perhaps "Part 2: the earlier beginings of things from before ;P. I just dont want to see all her past (all that defines her) lost in a present climate of "action".... also, if three years ago the Doc died... isnt that rather close to the Rikti invasion? He was expecting death, and died peacfully... but perhaps was he able to help in the war, and thus burn his flame that much brighter that he would end so shortly afterwards?
I like it, though I hope, as I said, to see longer peroids of flashback in future posts.))
((This is, indeed, an excellent story.))
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
Ex Libris broke the thread! 
Orc&Pie No.53230 There is an orc, and somehow, he got a pie. And you are hungry.
www.repeat-offenders.net
Negaduck: I see you found the crumb. I knew you'd never notice the huge flag.
I'm liking the story so far. :-)
-D
Darkonne: Pinnacle's (unofficially) mighty Dark Miasma/Radiation Blast enthusiast!
Be sure to check out this mighty Arc:
#161865 - Aeon's Nemesis
Ex Libris, this is a very interesting story. You have my attention and you got my imagination going ... really intrested to get some of the finer details.
Good job.
Char Site | My DeviantArt
Global=@Thornster
When can we expect more? Let's see some time shifty- story!
The Beginning--Part I
Jump to Part II
Ex Libris, part III.
Isabelle put down the book she was analyzing removed her glasses and rubbed the soreness from her eyes. Then keeping her eyes closed stretched her neck and tried to stretch her arms. She was sore. It was certain that she would never beat Derek in a fencing match, that is what she gets for going up against a champion but damn if she wasnt going to give it her all. Izzy met Derek when he first came to work at the Freedom Corps on the ELITE division. Since Derek was a supervisor for ELITE he was actually allowed to interact with Izzy on a personal as well as professional level. Most people working within the Freedom Corps complex had no knowledge of an Isabelle Dubois or if they did, many of them hardly knew what her job there entailed. Isabelle had access to more classified information than any human being could possibly know what do to with, or even be able to begin to decipher. Isabelles duties were simple she was the guardian and protector of information that if found in the wrong set of hands could destroy Paragon City, or even the world. Isabelle came and left work each day under a closely monitored protected passage, she did not leave the office ever after entering each day until the end of the day when she would leave from a separate closely monitored protected passage. But one of the perks of working there was an in house gym, cafeteria, and private quarters.
Izzy cared little for the cloak and dagger stealth factors that were involved with her job. All she cared for were some of the books and ancient manuscripts that had somehow managed to survive an intellectually careless species. To say humans were reckless with their treasures and resources was one thing but some of what Izzy had seen would put them in the down right dumb category, and Izzy tried hard not to focus on that. Izzy brought her arm back down and glanced at her watch, 1:17, hmm she thought I have just enough time to rest my eyes before that 2:00 planning meeting. Izzy disappeared to her small but comfortable private quarters and laid down for a nap.
Since Izzy knew that falling asleep would make her more tired than she was already she decided to do some meditation. Izzy had been lucky to find Allison King through her contacts at Freedom Corps. Allison said that she could help Izzy remember her past and put her life at ease, and Izzy decided to give it one last chance before just letting the wiped details be filled in with the wild musings of her imagination. Izzy breathed deeply in and out, letting all the stress leave her body as she exhaled. She settled in on Allisons advice to let her mind go where it wanted to, and that would help her retrace her steps.
Argh! Izzy sat up frustrated. Concentrate, dammit. Izzy pushed her fingers into her closed eyes to relieve the tension that was building there. As she sat there with pressure on her eyes, she noticed that there was a gradual movement from darkness to a centered light. The pinnacle of the light forming just over the bridge of her nose, it reminded her of a lighthouse. That was it, the lighthouse that was the key. Isabelle laid back down still holding pressure on both of her eyes and concentrated on that moment she was held in a pendulum of nearly frozen death and barely willing life. She remembered contemplating just rolling off the cushion into the ocean and letting her lungs fill with water. She knew it would be painful, but quick. But something kept her holding on to the balance of life. How did she get out of the ocean? What happened? She just couldnt piece that together. Izzy remembered being there, but the next memories she had were of her elementary school Moorecrest. It was the lighthouse, Izzy knew that it had some answer, some clue; in fact she could even see the interior of it in her minds eye. Yes, she had actually been there, she remembered it being small, having a kitchen with an old pot belly stove. She remembered the whistle of a tea kettle
.
Iz, you back there?
Isabelle sat up startled and annoyed.
Sure Derek, Ill be right there. K, I just thought we could walk to the meeting together, so I could gloat a bit more about my victory.
Hah, Izzy shouted. Vanity is not a virtue.
Well Iz, to your credit if you had started fencing at the age I did I think today would have been your triumph.
You really are quite good, where did you learn?
In books, Izzy replied.
Nah you are kidding right?
Nope, Izzy said, I read The Count of Monte Cristo, as well as The Three Musketeers when I was a kid and after that I couldnt get enough material on sword fighting. Not only that but I was obsessed with pirates when I was younger. My mom used to tease me with bedtime stories about my made up pirate ancestors; I swear she had a better imagination than I do.
Hmm, your mom sounds cool, does she live here in the city.
Izzy came through the doorway of her small room and replied casually, Nope, no family now, Im an orphan.
Heh, well good one Derek, way to impress the lady. Derek said slightly embarrassed. No big deal Derek, I was pretty young when it happened, I dont really remember them.
So shall we away to the Justice meeting? Izzy quipped.
Sure thing, I hear Miss Liberty has a special announcement.
The two of them walked side by side up the stairs that lead to the pentagon shaped room above. Each branch of the Freedom Corps lead out to there own area, and the main meeting room was above the area where Izzy worked. There was an intricate design and immense amount of structural architecture that went into the building. There was even a vault level below the main area where Izzy worked, as far as Izzy knew only six individuals had access to the vaults, and she was one of them. Considering her existence, or lack thereof Izzy always viewed the proceedings of the Justice planning meetings from a secured location.
Well this is my stop. Derek said.
Yep, Izzy replied. Ill see you later this week.
Yeah next time Ill go a bit easier on you in the match, Derek chuckled.
Dont you dare for one second you hear me Derek, I am going to beat you one of these days, and I dont want you placating me.
Derek laughed, ok Iz, I promise.
Izzy kept climbing a set of stairs where she could see the guard standing near the secured door. Isabelle nodded as she passed by him and quietly took her seat.
These meetings always bored Izzy, she was never one for paying attention to one thing for too long. She would have loved to sneak a book in to read, or to fall asleep but the cameras were another story. She could only imagine having that caught on camera, and then having to deal with her bosses. So Izzy cleverly brought a small notebook in with her so that it appeared like she was keeping notes of the meeting. She wasnt tasked with doing so, there were appointed scribes in every meeting, who would then translate any of the meeting notes into the various languages and disperse them. So Izzy knew that she would receive a well written version of notes that she could catch up on anything she missed. Plus a small scan of the room showed that only the most die hard heroes were paying attention. It was amazing what crossed the minds of the average hero on a Friday afternoon. Izzy lost herself in her word doodles and symbolic scribbles. Falling almost trance like traced the infinity symbol into her notebook then traced its path over and over again until the sideways figure 8 nearly wore through the paper. Infinity was a concept that she had studied so much but was still so far from having any sort of understanding about. What was it all for? Gah! she said aloud as the speaker announcing the end of the meeting stood to thank everyone for coming. Well, Izzy thought, its Friday night, and its been a long week. I think I will head over to Pocket D tonight for a drink.
Isabelle Dubois had to admit that of all things that were overwhelmingly full in her life, her social life was seemingly lacking.
~Ex Libris~ The story part III by Jill Henderson.
Jump to Part IV
very cool{edit: question fixed}
There are three flowers in a vase, the third flower is green.
Thanks Strigadi, fixed.
Dang, and I was hoping to see a continuation of the story here when I saw a new post from you on the list... 
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Very nice... can't wait to see what happens when Izzy goes to Pocket D; that should be interesting.
Ashes to ashes,
Pheonyx
The Cape Radio
"It's good to have friends. Wish I did." - Troy Hickman
Excelent writing Libris. I think the only other person who can even match you is Samual. Unfortunately, it's been a while since he's posted here...
Match the great Ex Libris?
Nyu wai! 
come on, Izzy... give us another dose ;P
You used the names of every server in this section... very clever...
The Beginning--Part I
Jump to Part II
Jump to Part III
Izzy walked back toward her office. Dr. Evans had set her up a small area towards the back near the audiovisual equipment. An eight-year-old child doesnt need that much space; in fact at times they become overwhelmed with how large the world is only to discover a whole Universe. Evans had done extensive research during his tenure at Cap. What are you studying today Izzy? Dr Evans asked quizzically. Weapons! Izzy responded. Izzy had a preoccupation with Arthurian History and Lore. Ah ha, and what weapon design fascinates you the most? Dr. Evans asked. The bows, well mainly the crossbows, but I have learned a lot about different arrows and darts that have been used and what they were made of, its pretty cool. Pretty cool, eh, well how about cool enough to write me a small essay about the history of archery, the weapons, and methodology of using the equipment properly. I guess thats cool. Izzy said as she shuffled away.
This sure beat regular school. Izzy would always sit and stare out the window or watch the clock tick, tick, tick, she could swear sometimes that the hand would actually move backwards just to tease her. Izzy knew exactly how many holes were in one of the ceiling tiles and had read every piece of school graffiti that had ever been etched into hard plastic or whatever that material was made from?? Everything about school bugged Izzy. That was at least how it was before
before her family was taken from her. Now school was a saving grace.
Iz plopped down into her cushy chair; it was an old orange boxy looking thing. She flipped on the reading lamp and reached behind the chair to pull out a book she had hidden. Izzy had hid the books ever since she started reading them, she hid them not because she would have to do a report, or that Dr. Evans would look at her with scorn. He was actually pretty cool about the stuff she read. She went through the whole Roald Dahl phase, Izzy thought James and the Giant Peach. was he best book ever, until she read, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. No, Evans was a pretty cool dude for an old guy. Izzy was hiding Anne of Green Gables, because she was kind of embarrassed that she was reading it since it was all-girlie and stuff. Secretly Izzy loved reading the Anne books; she just preferred keeping it just that, secretly.
The Boxcar Children was what she read as her transition into the big kid library. Mrs. Larsen who was the librarian then finally helped Izzy pick out her first set of books just after showing her how to use the card catalog, and pass a test on the Dewey Decimal System. Library Bingo, thats how most of the children, learned how about the library sections. Kids couldnt check books out until they had passed the test. Isabelle Dubois was the youngest child Mrs. Larsen had ever seen pass. Mrs. Larsen thought Izzy was a whiz kid, and since kindergarten had been incredibly bright.
Isabelle, are you ready for lunch? Dr. Evans called back to her. Be right there, Izzy called back, she folded the ear of the page down, which later she would regret, dropped the book in the chair and headed off to lunch.
Dr. Evans walked with Izzy up to the cafeteria door, where he would then tell her he would meet her back at the library after lunch and the afternoon recess. Izzy usually skipped recess unless it was a particularly beautiful day and in those cases she still had a book in hand and would find a quiet sunny spot in the grass and lie down and read.
So what weapons did you read about this morning?
Atlatls, Izzy responded with a lie.
Ah ha, aging all the way back to Paleolithic times are we now?
Sort of, I was reading mainly about how early hunters would poison the darts with a tranquilizer type poison, hit a large animal from the distance and then track the animal until it dropped.
Seems like some smart thinking. Dr. Evans stated.
Yeah, I guess if you are determined you can drop an elephant with a dart. Izzy laughed.
Ok well have a good lunch, and let me know if you have any trouble. Dr. Evans headed towards the teachers lounge.
Walking into the large cafeteria filled with other kids always caused Izzy a great deal of discomfort. Izzy didnt really have any friends, unless you could count Dr. Evans as such. Izzy was odd, but on top of that was the factor of being an orphan, the other kids just didnt know how to interact with her and so in most cases either teased or ignored her completely.
Izzy took a deep breath and entered the room.
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The lights were flashing over head and the music was blasting through the main dance hall. Isabelle still struggled with large crowds, some internal fear dropped her right back into the 4th grade.
Isabelle made her way towards the Tiki Lounge where she had promised to meet Derek. The ambiance inside the Tiki Lounge was a slight change from the large dance floor and neon glow inside the main hall of Pocket D. Isabelle knew there were other areas inside Pocket D, she had heard about The Monkey Cage, and the extreme fighting matches that took place there but she had never ventured there herself.
The club was a huge success that catered to the most diverse crowd Isabelle had ever encountered. DJ Zero had done very well with the place, and while Isabelle was a club frequenter, she had always had a good time when she did venture out.
Isabelle squeezed into a quiet booth along the wall inside the Tiki Lounge and waited for Derek to find her. She glanced furtively around the room a habit she had grown accustomed to from her youthful lunch room experiences. As she scanned the room she noticed someone who had a familiar face sitting at the bar. Isabelle stared for the briefest of moments, but in the end it was too long.
The familiar stranger turned almost intuitively and stared straight back into Isabelles eyes. Isabelle smiled nervously. Then almost as if invited, the familiar stranger started walking towards Isabelle.
Isabelle fidgeted nervously, and twisted forward in her seat.
You dont remember me do you?
~Ex Libris~ The Story part IV by Jill Henderson
Jump to Part V
I tip my hat to you, Ex Libris.
Otherwise known as the Mod with a space in their name.
*Tips the Malevolent Hat of Subtle Doom*
Keep up the amazing work.
Moar plz.
*sits down with popcorn*
Very nice. I am loving the parallel stories. You seem intent on taking it through to the end. Also, you are integrating more and more references to the mythology of City of Heroes, if I am not mistaken. A sign as you become more accommodated to the world of Paragon City, perhaps?
I like it very much. ^_^ Given the space in between the spaces, I suppose we can reach a finale in a few years? Work at your own pace. What we've seen so far does rule.
*takes a handful of Seferin's popcorn*
Yes, more please.... this is very good and can't wait to read more.
Ashes to ashes,
Pheonyx
The Cape Radio
"It's good to have friends. Wish I did." - Troy Hickman
I'm currently reading Stephen King's Wolves of the Calla, and I noticed a certain Ex Libris a bit over halfway in the book.
Coincidence?!
Why does the quote in her signature tell me not? 
[ QUOTE ]
I'm currently reading Stephen King's Wolves of the Calla, and I noticed a certain Ex Libris a bit over halfway in the book.
Coincidence?!
Why does the quote in her signature tell me not?
[/ QUOTE ]
Ewww...going to have to pick it up...wasn't familiar with the reference.
Ex
The Beginning--Part I
Dr. Evans had finally done it, he thought to himself. He had found the ideal pupil. Isabelle Dubois was the perfect candidate, and he had nearly discredited her after the accident the loss of her family. Evans thought to himself, I must find a way to make sure I can keep Izzy enrolled at Moorecrest. If they try and place her somewhere else I will have to start all over again. Or that might just be the key to keeping her post elementary school.
Evans knew that his ideas were radical and after leaving the institute he took a fellowship offer at the local University hoping he would find an apt student to assist him develop his ideas. After working with the fellowship program nearly two years he realized that these students had already passed the point of execution for his ideas. They were too far into adulthood to grasp anything so mind blowing as his radical Theory of Possibility. Certainly there were some brilliant candidates but most of them had grasped too many of the hard lined laws of nature and the universe to even see Dr. Evans ideas as anything more than fantastical and foolish.
Evans recalled one of his favorite quotes from Albert Einstein.
Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.
Dr. Elliot Evans knew that he would have to find another way. Elliot knew that his disease was terminal, he was only 67 and most would consider that to be young but time was of the essence now and he had to find someone that could carry on his lifes work. The sheer number of technological advances that could be made if his proofs held up to scrutiny would be astounding. If only I could make it work he thought. Then he could truly be deemed as a great thinker, instead of the quack that most held him up to be.
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Izzy lay there shivering and curled up rocking back and forth with every movement of the deep black ocean. She was wet from head to toe, and could only feel some sense of warmth inside her green vest life jacket.
The life jacket had been her birthday present when she turned 8 a few months before. She was so happy about the gift that she wore it for nearly a week around the house. Her mother finally was able to convince her to stow it away under her bed until they had brought the boat out from winter storage.
Izzy pulled her arms inside the vest and curled up tighter, she was so cold that she couldnt stop her jaw from chattering and knocking her teeth together. She couldnt remember ever being this cold before. She wondered where her family was and why they hadnt come to find her. Izzy wasnt quite sure what had happened, she knew her head hurt terribly and that she was floating on the large cushion that was backed by a plywood board. It was the one that covered the engine on the back of the boat. But where was the boat? Where was her family? Where was Izzy?
Izzy slowly moved around the cushion as to not disrupt the balance that had up to this point kept her safe. Nothing! She couldnt see anything but a void of darkness. Then she saw a beam of light pass by, but it was quickly gone again. Izzy was so tired but she knew that she shouldnt fall asleep, she knew that she had been hit on the head and had read recently in one of her Hardy Boys mysteries that it was not a good idea to fall asleep if you had a head injury. Izzy couldnt help thinking if she did fall asleep that she would miss finding her family.
The light beamed over head again. Maybe that is them looking for me, Izzy thought. Certainly it must be she tried to raise her head up to see if she could hear a boat engine but she could hear nothing but the ocean, and again she could see nothing but darkness. Where was that light coming from?
Again the beam crossed over the wide expansion of the sky. Izzy could only tell the difference between the darkness of the ocean and the sky by looking at the horizon. The light crossing over was too static to be a rescue boat, Izzy thought, it must be something else, but she couldnt quite figure it out. Then again it crossed over.
29, 28, 27, 26, 25, Izzy started to count. She got to 15 when the light crossed over again. 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, and on down to 1 and there the beam flashed across the sky. It was a lighthouse! Izzy kept counting; it took 15 seconds for the light to go full circle around its circumference. Izzy figured that if she continued to count she would be able to tell if she was getting closer or drifting further away from where the lighthouse was stationed.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and SNAP! Izzy was wide awake. She looked confusedly around Dr. Waterss office and then her eyes narrowed in on Hanna. She remembered now, she was at her scheduled psychiatric appointment.
How do you feel Izzy? Dr. Waters asked.
Izzy hated that question. I feel sleepy. She responded.
Did you learn anything new about what happened to me? Izzy asked with anticipation.
No, not really. Dr. Waters replied.
Izzy are you still having trouble sleeping at night? Dr. Waters asked, to which Hanna replied.
She wakes up with nightmares at least 3 or 4 times a week, and half the time when I go in to check on her to see if she is sleeping shes awake and reading.
Well I can write her a prescription to help her sleep. Dr. Waters stated.
Izzy sat quietly while decisions were made in her behalf, she didnt quite care that this was happening because most people treated her like this, hardly anyone ever asked her what she thought or what she wanted. She felt more like she was a problem than a person.
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Isabelle sat quietly meditating with her eyes closed she then took in a deep breath and inhaled the steamy air. The eucalyptus seemed to sting open the alveoli of her lungs. Isabelle had always been susceptible to infections after that summer so long ago. Her best defense was regular exercise and a rigid diet. It was amazing to her how good she felt after a hardcore work out, and sitting in the steam room had proved to be the most therapeutic practice she had come across in her adult life. Adult, Izzy could hardly wrap around the idea that she was nearly 25. This had been a rough winter and she missed the camaraderie of her old mentor Elliot, she could hardly believe that three years had past since his death and her inheritance.
Isabelle had long given up the idea that she would ever have a family. Hanna and Dr. Evans were the closest thing she could think of to familial relations. Hanna had since married and started her own family and kept in touch at the usual social conjectures, birthdays and holidays. And Dr Evans had finally passed on, he went quietly and peacefully. It seemed to Izzy that he had long prepared himself for the event. Isabelle however, was hardly prepared, she was 21 years old and technically an adult in fact far more mature than most adults were but she took Dr. Evans death very poorly.
There were problems that Isabelle despite her best attempts to find a solution just couldnt tackle and it would be good to bounce ideas past Dr. Evans like she had so easily done in her past. She kept a daily journal, which helped, but it was times like this that she relied on meditation, hoping to channel the good Doctor.
Oddly in her hopes to channel him she brought up images from a distant past, there were still pieces missing in the puzzle that created her. Pieces that Izzy knew she would need to find in order for her to unlock the pieces to a bigger puzzle.
Possibilities!?!
Jump to Part III
~Ex Libris ~The Story part II by Jill Henderson