Part 2:
The cold rain continued to fall for several hours. Psi was cold, tired, sick, and now very hungry. The psychic energy was only half the picture -she still needed real people food as well. She longed for her old apartment in the Rogue Isles with the soft carpet and warm fluffy chairs with people to make her food and massage her aching muscles. She sighed, obviously those days were gone and it was back to being on her own and living on the streets. She'd been there before too and survived so she could do it again. Shed find a way out again as well.
Psi rested until she felt like she had enough strength to go. She was still pretty wobbly on her feet so decided that maybe the stairs were a better idea than a heroic leap from the window.
Though the floor she had stayed on was abandoned, the stairway was clearly used regularly. Psi used her mind to hide herself - making her appear transparent and ghostlike. There were sounds in the lobby - several men talking about something...
She quietly moved closer and listened in to the conversation.
"...until we get to Third Street then we can avoid the Clock patrols over here. Then we go into this building, here, that the Lost used to claim."
"Hey boss, I don't want to mess with those crazy Lost again!"
"Shut-up you moron! I found out that the Clocks chased them out of there a few days ago but didn't stay so it should be a clear route to the back of the Astro-Genetics Lab here. And if my information is correct the basement labs were locked down and should still hold some serious gear, not to mention some nice tech and a few secrets that will make us all rich men."
The planning session continued as Psi snuck away - sure that sounded tempting but it wasn't what she was looking for right now, and taking on eight armed men in her condition probably wasn't wise.
She made her way across Skyway avoiding various factions and stopping to rest as needed. She was getting weaker and had to walk much of the way, not to mention that her various bruises and cuts were not getting any better.
It was getting dark when she noticed a small office/base with a Council symbol on it. Hungry, hurt, tired, and overall desperate she figured it was worth a try. Maybe she could bluff her way through using a little suggestion to help her along. Still, knowing that any sign of weakness could mean trouble, she tried to clean herself up a little bit, slicked her wet hair back and walked in.
Two guards immediately stood up and aimed their energy batons in her direction. "What the hell do you want?" one of them growled.
"Shut up you dung heap!" She replied as she walked toward the counter. The man typing away at the computer looked up, clearly annoyed. Psi smiled, "I did some freelance work and just want my pay. They told me this was the correct office?" She put her Rogue Isles ID card on the counter and could feel the two guards crowding up behind her. She was feeling dizzy so didn't react in time when the man snatched the ID card.
"What the hell is this piece of crap fake? You're either a fake or a spy!" He stood up drawing his sidearm. Psi was slow but still managed to lock his brain up in a painful seizure. The two guards were quickly on her - she felt and energy baton square in the back and the handle of another struck her head. She fell to her knees in pain, trying to shake off the cobwebs that intruded on her field of view.
A heavy boot struck her midsection and lifted her off of the ground. That was immediately followed by another shock with the energy baton. Psi dropped in a heap as the world swirled around her. A heavy boot rolled her over onto her back and she tried to say something but it came out a groan.
"We can have some fun with this one before we dispose of her..." She heard one of the guards say before she lost consciousness completely.
Psi awoke tired, cold, hungry, and in a lot of pain. She was in a dimly lit room - muted daylight from a cloudy sky forced its way through the cracks between boards on the window. Some more light from the room beyond came through the mostly closed door.
The room she was in was small - maybe 10' square - and not very well kept up. Paint peeled from the wall and there was garbage on the floor. It looked like it might have been an office at one time as a broken desk and chair were pushed against the far wall.
Psi was handcuffed to an exposed pipe and that was certainly not helping her arm, which throbbed with pain. Most of her clothing had been taken and only her torn tights remained. The jacket, her vest, even her leather boots had been taken.
Voices came from the other room.
"Yeah he said they'd pay us good cred over at MetaGenetics for this one! They dump them into a vat and pull out the key genes from the goop! The Doc can probably even set us up with some Ultra-Dyne!"
Another voice chimed in. "You sure no one will be wise to us? We'd get thrown into the lab for experiments if we get caught."
"We're fine!" The first voice retorted. "I wrote over the security tapes in the front room from yesterday so no one will know. Those things always fritz up anyway so who would suspect?"
A third voice spoke. "So...what 'condition' does she have to be in when we deliver her?" The tone of his voice made her shudder.
The first man chuckled. "Well so long as she is fresh and doesn't have any gene altering drugs in her system we can do with her as we please. They're just going to break her down anyway." There was laughing from all three.
"I'm going to head back to the base to check in and assign us all to a 'patrol' duty for a day. Carl, you give some of this sedative to our guest then you can do with her as you please."
Suddenly the reality of the situation hit her - she was going to die and in a painful, humiliating, manner. Everything hurt so much it would be a welcome end...
NO!!! She would not give up that easily! She didn't have enough mental energy to stun a mouse, but she had to find a way. Painfully she pulled herself up against the wall in a sitting position and started looking for something to pick the lock on the handcuffs. She could hear the men shuffling around in the other room - one leaving and soon the other would come in to...well she didn't want to think about it!
Psi pulled a small nail out of the wall probably at one time held up a picture or something similar and started working the handcuff lock. She knew she didn't have much time so she concentrated hard, reaching out to just try to fog their minds a little bit. She heard one of them at the door and saw his shadow. Just as he was about to open the door; "Oh yeah, I forgot the syringe."
Psi suddenly realized that was the key. She concentrated harder on the one mind; the syringe is Dyne...no, it is super pheromone drug, if you take it you'll be wanted so bad by that girl...
The large man stumbled through the door clearly not sure what he was supposed to do.
Do it, put the syringe in your leg and press, it will be great...
Her head ached, but it was working - the man stared at the syringe with a confused look. "Yeah, this'll make her want me..." he said as he pumped the medicine into his thigh.
Psi couldn't concentrate anymore and slumped down against the wall. The guard looked up momentarily, unsure of what was going on. "Whhoooouuuut thththte..." he struggled to speak as the sedative made his tongue feel like an over-inflated beach ball. Then he pitched forward with a thud against the wall next to Psi and slid to the floor.
Psi struggled to stand - she knew the other guard would be in soon to see what the sound was. She heard him grabbing things before he came through the door. He had an energy baton in his hand and some sort of helmet on his head!
"Yeah I thought you might wake up so I grabbed this psionic protection helm from the supply room." He grinned and stepped forward thrusting with the baton.
He was not in his normal armor - just the helmet and baton - and that meant one thing to Psi: No armor, no protection. One of the few things she had applied herself to while bouncing from school to school was martial arts. She had come in third in state in 8th grade. So even on wobbly legs and in a weakened state, she knew how and where to kick.
Her leg flashed out and made solid connection with the soldier's two best friends. His eyes almost popped out of his head and his attack only grazed Psi's side - still sending a wave of fire through her nerves. He fell to his knees, dropping his baton, as tears welled in his eyes. The man was down, but not out so Psi quickly pulled the shock baton over to herself with her foot, picked it up, and jabbed it into the soldiers face. He went into spasms and fell to the ground twitching.
Psi fished out the keys and unlocked the handcuffs. A quick search of the office area revealed a few ration bars and water bottles. She grabbed her boots and a coat that was too big for her while devouring some of the bars.
There was a sound outside the door. Just me guys, I forgot to take the schedule
He stopped as he came to the door and saw Psi there. They both froze for just a moment and then moved. Psi tried to dodge to the side to avoid the big man, but he grabbed the coat. Psi struggled to get out of the coat and get some room. Maybe she could muster up a psionic attack of some sort if she could concentrate.
Just as she thought she might get free the man grabbed her by the throat and smashed her to the ground square on her back. It knocked the wind out of her and she was stars from the force of the blow.
Before she could recover he was on top of her. He backhanded her across the face sending ripples of pain through her.
Im going to kill you, but first Ill have some fun.
Psi panicked he was too strong and she couldnt focus enough to use her powers. His forearm crushed down on her and she could barely breathe. His other hand groped at her roughly.
She tried to pull him off of her, yanking at his coat and belt. Then her hand fell on his holster. It still held his weapon; a 9 mm pistol. Still struggling she popped the holster open and smoothly pulled out the weapon. The Council soldier was too worried about what he was doing to notice.
In a single motion Psi brought the gun up, flipped off the safety, and held it to her attackers temple. There was a momentary flash of realization in his eyes before she pulled the trigger, and most of his cranium was spread across the room.
His body slumped down on top of Psi, pinning her down until she squirmed free. Still almost in a panic she dropped the gun and ran out the door. She ran and jumped with whatever energy she had left to get as far away from there as she could.
She kept going, not sure where she would stop, and found herself in of all places Baumton / Boomtown.
There was no word for her exhaustion at this point, but she just kept jumping until she couldnt anymore. Then she ran and finally slowed to a walk. In this condition it was only a matter of time until a Council patrol or something worse picked her up.
She staggered forward with blurred vision, not seeing the old staircase that lead to the basement of the building. She tumbled down landing in a heap at the bottom in front of a surprisingly solid looking door.
Out of well hidden locations, two turrets popped out and oriented on her. A speaker barked out; Identification not confirmed; please provide voice verification in five seconds.
Psi groaned, barely aware of the danger.
Voice verification not confirmed! Firing will commence in three seconds!
That was the last thing Psi heard
"Shut up Mr. Burton, you are not brought upon this world to get it!" - Lo Pan
@MadGremlin
((Now realizing how crazy long these posts are and that it is unlikely anyone is equally crazy enough or has time enough to read through the entire thing. Oh well...where did I get the time to write all this drivel?))
Part 3:
Strange visions swam in her head. Darkness and destruction of Paragon City as villains laughed over the debris.
She slowly awoke, and then sat up, trying to figure out where she was and what had happened. Her body was sore and stiff. There were several bandages covering her more serious scrapes and her fractured arm was wrapped in some sort of thin, rigid material that acted as a cast. She was no longer in her costume, but instead a grey sweatshirt and sweat pants that had clearly seen better days. Definitely not her clothes.
Psi looked around. She was in a small room with no windows and illuminated by a single bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. There was white paint over what appeared to be cement floor, walls, and even ceiling. Exposed pipes ran along the ceiling as well. The room definitely had the feel of a solid basement.
She was lying in a metal frame bed on a well-used mattress. The sheets were nice, but well-worn and patched in a few locations. There was a nightstand next to the bed with a small lamp on it as well as a glass of water and her few personal effects. On the far wall was a well worn chair and small table. On the table was another glass of water and a book laying open face-down as if someone had set it there just a moment ago.
Psi grabbed the water on the nightstand. She sniffed it and decided that it must be ok before gulping it down.
As she finished drinking and set the glass down the door to the room opened.
Psi stared in shock as the woman in the tight purple bodysuit walked in. Indigo! She cried. Psi had battled the formidable woman on more than one occasion and being locked up by her meant certain imprisonment.
Indigo looked surprised and puzzled. Relax young lady. Do I know you? Indigo calmly sat in the chair. You should lie down. You were nearly dead when you stumbled on our base we werent even sure you were going to make it for a while there. She said calmly.
Psi remembered now that she was on Council Earth and relaxed back on the bed. Her head hurt and was spinning from the sudden excitement. Oh yeah, Im not in Kansas anymore. She said to herself.
Indigo sat back and smiled. So lets talk, shall we? Ill start. Im Indigo as you apparently know. Now, what is your name?
Psi sighed. Ok, Ill play. Im Psilent Threat, you can call me Psi. I think Im from a different earth dimension. We call your dimension Council Earth because the Council rules here. I know you because on my world weve fought recently. She looked up, half expecting Indigo to attack her.
Indigo just continued to smile. Thats interesting. Ive heard of the theory of alternate dimensions. She shifted a bit and crossed her legs. Anything else you can tell me?
Psi was definitely uncomfortable. Um, how about you tell me where I am? She asked.
Indigo nodded. You are in what we call Sanctuary North. It is one of the secret bases of the resistance movement against the Council regime. As you can see, we do what we can with fairly limited resources.
She reached over and picked up the ID card.
I noticed that you have some sort of ID from the Rogue Isles. Here those islands are inhabited by a small cult called Arachnos. What is it like in your dimension?
Psi thought for a moment. Well, Arachnos is there, but they are pretty powerful. Lord Recluse and his crew are rivaled by only the most powerful heroes. She stopped and shifted a little bit in the bed. Yes, I did some work for Arachnos. But I didnt realize that this was what happened when someone like that won
She trailed off.
Its ok dear. Indigo reassured. No one blames you and Im sure you have your reasons. Still it looks like you are stuck here for now. There is someone who youll have to talk to but he wont be around for a few weeks.
Just then someone passed by the door, stopped and looked in. He was not big barely as tall as Psi herself but well muscled and had a weathered look to his skin. Additionally, he had some obvious cybernetics including one eye that was a red glowing dot that focused on her.
I see our guest is awake. He nodded at Psi.
Yes she is and weve just been chatting a bit. This is Psilent Threat and she is from the Rogue Isles. Apparently she is not from our dimension, but we had suspected that. Indigo smiled and winked at Psi.
Nice to meet you Psi. Im Captain Trammel, um, Charles, Chuck, or Chucky to some. Code name Cheap Trick. The man said, moving into the room. He moved with unnatural fluidity and with very little sound. He turned his head to the side and spoke in a quite voice. Please bring some warm food to N-Blue-16, our guest is awake and probably hungry. And bring something for Indigo too. Apparently he used an internal radio of some sort to call for the food.
Captain Trammel presented a relaxed and calm demeanor, but it was clear from the equipment and multiple scars that he was no stranger to battle. Psi figured him to be ruthless and efficient if he had to be.
Sorry about the accommodations but we have to make due. The Council doesnt really invite us up to their luxury suites for some reason. He grinned.
Well, Im leading a patrol out to clear the lost out of the eastern sectors. Ill touch base with you again tomorrow.
Indigo stayed with Psi for several hours as they ate their food and talked about a variety of things. Psi was as comfortable and relaxed as she had been in many years, but was still wary.
She learned that the Council did not think highly of mutants or practitioners of magic. They had hunted many down and either killed or placed them in camps. Of course some they twisted to their own uses.
The war had been going on a long time and the resistance was well established. Still, the Council had enough manpower, including many robots, that they could not make much headway.
Eventually Psi fell back asleep with the strain of the past few days still weighing heavily on her. Again she dreamed of terrible things - ruined cities with leaders of various villain groups laughing down at her.
Over the next couple weeks Psi helped out where she could as she regained her strength. She and Indigo talked a lot about their worlds as well as a variety of other subjects. Psi learned of Indigos time as an assassin and that she was a mild pre-cognitive, while she told Indigo of her need for psychic energy to survive. When Psi was strong enough, Indigo arranged for her to go out on a couple light patrols to giver her opportunity to feed on some Lost.
Still, she didnt quite feel right here so she didnt let her guard down completely.
Eventually the day came when Indigo arrived with a guest.
Psi, this is someone you need to talk to. He is a traveler of time and dimension.
Hello Miss Threat, I am Mender Silos. I am part of an organization that ensures the proper flow of the timelines in the various dimensions and attempts to right them when they go wrong. He paused for a moment to let it sink in. Psi sat down on her bed, a little worried about what might come next.
You, young lady, do not belong here. Though this dimension has some timeline issues, they are on the path to correcting them. But this does not include you at this time. It is time for you to go before you have adverse impact on the time stream.
Indigo looked a little surprised. Are you sure
yes, you are always sure. She said to Mender Silos as he stood with no expression. She turned to Psi. Well, I dont want you to go but there is no doubt about what Mender Silos says. She frowned.
Wow, ok. Um, what do we need to do? Psi asked.
It was barely an hour before they had packed a small bag for her and brought her to an empty room with Mender Silos.
Indigo spoke to her. Psi, please look up your worlds version of me when you return. She can help you; get you away from the influences of the Rogue Isles.
Thanks, Ill try to do that. Psi replied.
Mender Silos had created a glowing portal and motioned for Psi to step through.
"Shut up Mr. Burton, you are not brought upon this world to get it!" - Lo Pan
@MadGremlin
((Ok, so you'll start to see parts where I didn't have good ideas so I quick-wrote or skipped. Oh well...))
Part 4
They had given her a choice of locations in the Rogue Isles for a destination. She had recently upgraded to a condo in Nerva for her public address, but she figured that was dangerous at this point. She also had a secret spot in Cap Au Diable that she hoped was still secure so she chose that as her destination.
She was not wearing one of her typical revealing pink outfits instead she wore a dark jumpsuit and hood. This made her one of dozens of similarly garbed super-powered beings leaping around Cap.
The apartment was not far from the Market and university. She found a convenient spot to land and watch for a while. It didnt take long only about an hour before she saw someone she recognized. It was Noxturnous, the clawed psychopath thatd been at the bank robbery. He met another super powered person that Psi recognized; a punk violent punk with an array of weapons who worked with a gang of thugs. He was coming into the neighboring building as Nox was coming out. The stopped and talked for a moment and Nox pointed up at the window to Psis place. Yup, theyd found her place and were watching it.
Psi thought for a few minutes- what was that guys name? GunRunner? RunnerGunner? Something like that. Didnt matter, shed deal with him first.
She waited another hour or so and then moved to the building. She stealthily climbed down to the balcony. There he was, TV placed so it was in direct line with her window in the neighboring building. There was a large walkie-talkie style radio sitting next to him. He periodically looked up from the TV to see if there was anything in the apartment across the way.
Psi slowly started to cloud his mind first with just some general confusion, then building up to triggering his sleep cycles. Soon he was fast asleep. Psi came in through the glass door and came up close.
Not so tough without your gang around are you? Then she crashed his mind kicking in pain and blindness. He awoke but was frozen grabbing his head. Then she threw him up in the air and he came crashing down on a small coffee table. Finally she walked up and drained his psychic energy.
I may regret letting you live punk, but when you wake up youll certainly think twice about messing with me.
She quickly made her way to her apartment. It had clearly been searched rather thoroughly and few of her ill-gotten gains remained.
Damn, they took all the nice stuff, including my best jewelry! Psi complained. She grabbed what was left; clothes, costumes, and a few hidden valuables. She checked everything carefully; removing several bugging devices that had been placed to track her then stuffed the clothes into a duffle bag.
No way to treat such fine clothes but I dont have time to pack them correctly. She said to herself.
She looked around one last time and sighed. Ok, time to
She stopped as motion in the apartment across the way caught her eye. She turned and saw Noxturnous looking directly at her from the other apartment. Their eyes locked for just a moment before Nox was leaping across the gap and his vicious claws slashing at Psi.
Her psionic shields kept her from being cut to ribbons, but she did receive several fairly significant gashes.
Nox was stronger, faster, and more agile than Psi, not to mention he had razor-sharp claws. It was hardly a fair fight when you just took into account the physical aspects. Plus, in the tight quarters he would be able to pin her down and cut her apart. On top of it, Nox was virtually feral when he was in combat making him resistant to most attempts to affect his mind.
But that was also his downfall. He was very direct in his attacks and did not use much in the way of tactics.
Psi used the furniture to slow him down and as he cut through it made her way around to the balcony again, firing several mental assaults as he chased her down. She stood on the balcony as he eyed her up and charged. Expecting that exact action she dove to the side as he crashed through the railing.
He eventually caught himself on another balcony but it gave Psi the head start she needed and she took off. Nox tried to follow but Psi had enough of a lead that she lost him and then circled back around to the ferry just as it was leaving.
NERVA:
Psi opened the disposable cell phone and punched a number. A voice on the other end answered gruffly. Who is this?
Well is that anyway to treat an old friend? Psi asked in a mocking tone.
Psi?!?! The surprised voice said.
Yeah, and it better not be you brining all of this heat down on me or you know Ill fry your brain. She growled.
No! It is your friends. They figured you set them up some how you know how paranoid they can be! Well, except Vortexus, hes still in a coma in the hospital. Some strange feedback from the transport really messed him up.
There was a pause and then. Where the he11 have you been?
Psi took a deep breath. Near death in another dimension. That same feedback that got Vortexus sent me slightly off course. And those former friends of mine found my secret hide out.
Psi frowned, despite Vortexus modest greed he was a decent guy and a solid leader for their team. Without him theyd clearly focused on Psi as a scapegoat and that was probably the only thing holding them together.
So where does that leave us? Psi asked.
Well, I
What the fu
There was a loud crash and another voice came on the phone. We got you now bish, we got these phones tapped and traced! Hahaha!!!
She sighed. Yeah, she figured theyd be at least that bright but they were quicker than she thought. It was a couple jumps and she was up under the bridge to the Longbow stronghold of Agincourt. She placed the phone on a beam, still open and on, and was gone.
Psi opened her bag and grabbed another phone. She waited until she was stealthily on top of a warehouse in the Crey compound and programmed it for remote dialing from one of the other phones she had picked up. There were no less than a dozen cheap phones in her bag.
She set the phone in a vent on the roof of the Crey warehouse. Come track this one you morons. She chuckled as she made her way to the ferry. She planted several more phones around the Isles before she started making her calls. Sure, theyd track her eventually, but shed lead them on a merry chase and probably get them in serious trouble if she was lucky.
Over the next couple days she contacted people, made some trades at the market, arranged a few details, and even managed to run a few missions (oddly actually helping people out). There were few people she actually trusted, well none really, so all arrangements were made as anonymously as possible.
She stood on the dock in Sharkshead Island with the grizzled submarine commander motioning her on board. Psi opened her last phone and dialed the number her team used to use to leave messages for each other.
Im gone boys and youll know where once you find this phone. I dont expect to ever see you losers ever again. She dropped the phone onto the dock and climbed into the sub.
"Shut up Mr. Burton, you are not brought upon this world to get it!" - Lo Pan
@MadGremlin
((Fairly short post here and probably only 1 more after this - hope at least a few are still reading...))
Part 5
Paragon City, Independence Port:
Psilent Threat viewed the city from a whole new perspective. It used to be simply a dangerous treasure to be plundered, but now it seemed to hold promise of a new life. She still had a lot to work out, but there was hope here.
It was warm so she opened the long coat she had worn for the trip. A pair of Council soldiers that had been pontificating on a box took notice and moved her way.
Hey lady, you ever had one who is of superior bloodline like the Council? He grinned, clearly with bad intent.
Psi looked at them with an incredulous look. Really? Im here five minutes and have to deal with you goons?
The Council soldiers and been expecting fear and looked a bit shocked at her attitude, but kept coming toward her.
Fine! She stated and reached into one mans mind and pulled forward all of his darkest fears. He screamed and grabbed his head, unable to move.
The other thug went for his gun. A meta! Youre gonna pay for that!
Shut up. Psi said dismissively as she tossed him up in the air with brute force telekinesis. He landed with a hard thump that knocked the wind out of him. Psi stepped up while he was recovering and drained his mental energy leaving him drooling on the ground. Hed live, but he was going to wish he was dead when he woke up.
The other man was still grasping his head and crying with fear. Psi quickly left him in an unconscious pile on the ground.
Psi hadnt notice that the two were roughing up another young lady before shed seen them. The lady ran up to Psi. Thank you! You saved my life! Ive never really been close to a hero before, that was wonderful! Im glad Paragon City has heroes like you!
The woman ran away and Psi stood stunned.
Hero? She said aloud. She had never considered that the word would be applied to her. She stood there for several minutes trying to figure things out. Finally she shook her head and moved on.
Clearly mistaken identity. Psi traveled on to see what the city had to offer.
"Shut up Mr. Burton, you are not brought upon this world to get it!" - Lo Pan
@MadGremlin
((Ok, I think I'll leave it with this post as it gets a little "thread specific" starting here. And I clearly have spent my limited creativity...maybe I will continue this in the Whitmoore thread.))
Shed done a few things since shed arrived in Paragon City gotten a dump of an apartment in Kings Row (how demeaning for her to have to live like this), found a clue and stopped some Carnival of Shadows from stealing some masks, and fended off a few thugs on the street. Shed even joined up with some heroes to raid an Arachnos base theyd learned about they didnt know who she was, just that she offered to help them out.
Finally she decided the time had come time to go talk to Indigo of this dimension and basically turn herself in.
Wow, this sucks. She said to herself as she moved through Founders Falls from rooftop to rooftop. Heck, this is where it all started it seemed like so long ago. Now she was going to turn herself in and probably end up in the psyche ward of the Zig; not a place she had ever wanted to see again.
She stood on the hillside looking down at the location where the Indigo of Council dimension had told her that the Indigo of this dimension would be. Psi shivered a bit in nervous anticipation.
There she was, right on time.
Psi watched for a while did she really want to do this? Then she took a few deep breaths and got up her nerves. Her heart was pounding rapidly as she prepared herself. Here goes nothing. She said as she jumped down.
She landed about ten feet from Indigo with barely a sound, but Indigo turned and fell into a fighting stance almost before she got there.
You! She said in a harsh voice. Ive been expecting you. Her voice had softened a bit but everything about her stance and eyes indicated she was ready to fight.
My friend in the Council dimension told me you might come to visit. I hoping she was right about you changing your stripes.
Psi was surprised. Um, yes I am here to turn myself in and try to make things right. She spoke the well-practiced lines almost mechanically and she was not sure she believed them.
Indigo smiled just a bit. Good, we were hoping so. She relaxed her stance a bit but was still ready as she motioned Psi over to a bench. Sit, please. As Psi sat Indigo continued.
Ive thought about this a lot recently. We cant really go to Longbow; they arent very forgiving and youve done more than your share of damage to their operations here and in the Rogue Isles. Wyvern is a joke and more interested in magical issues anyway. Paragon Police are also pretty harsh to known supervillains so they probably wont do us much good. It is amazing that we get any converts with the way we treat those on the borderline.
Indigo sat down. However, there is a small division of Metaforces that essentially deals with reforming metas, and getting them back to at least a semi-normal life. Especially those making the switch from the Rogue Isles.
So you will turn me over to them? Psi asked, feeling a bit powerless.
Eventually. First I need to know if I can really trust you. You are going to stay with me for a week or two along with some hand-picked agents that work with me. You may even get to meet Crimson.
The two weeks started slowly. Psi wore a psionic damper and was only allowed to move around outside when with Indigo or at least two agents. As the time went on Psi learned that this Indigo had some distinct differences from the one shed met in Council dimension. Still, under the hard exterior she was kind and helpful.
Still, neither fully let down their guard and there was significant suspicion on both sides. But as time went on they begrudgingly became friends and let down some of the barriers.
Indigo collected data on Psis activities since she had returned from Council Earth and after a few weeks made a decision.
---------------------------------
Scene: Paragon City Courthouse, Atlas Park, Judges Chambers
This is the hearing for Miss Psilent Threat. Despite her assistance with several recent events including stopping several Carnival of Shadows attacks, a Rikti raid, and an Arachnos attack, she is still implicated in multiple incidents in both the Rogue Isles and Paragon City, and was at one time a freelance operative for Arachnos.
The judge looked down through his reading glasses at the series of official papers on his desk and then up at the young lady sitting across the table.
Miss Indigo, you are going to speak on her behalf, even though you two fought several times? The judge asked questioningly.
Yes sir. I know this woman well enough from both being her enemy and her friend. She is honestly trying to change her ways and given the chance could be an asset to Paragon City. Indigo passed a set of documents over to the judge.
Though I dont think its necessary, we have set up a series of security devices for her. A location bracelet similar to anklets worn by normal criminals except that this one allows us to know her location at any time. It has secure and encrypted signals, and allows us to set it to a loud alarm or be used as a communication device. Additionally, we have added a damper to her headband that prevents her from using her minor mind-reading abilities. Her major psionic talents lay elsewhere but we dont want her reading even surface thoughts of other heroes.
The judge reviewed the papers for several minutes. Psi shifted in her chair uncomfortably; she was not used to this kind of a situation she liked total control over her life. It had been that way since she had run away from home as a young teen just before the Rikti hit.
So now, here she was, in a Paragon City courthouse, waiting for a stuffy old judge to decide if shed go back to that he11 of the Zig, or have a chance at a life. She felt small, frail, and exposed in this place, not the confident and often feared Psilent Threat.
The judge looked up and Psi came back from her daydream. About this power of suggestion that she has. It would seem that she could still easily and readily abuse this without chance of detection. He frowned and looked from Indigo to Psi.
Yes, well that one is a tricky point she uses this quite effectively in combat to confuse enemies and convince them to attack one-another. Indigo replied. Blocking use of it would limit her significantly and potentially interfere with some of her other powers.
Indigo stopped and looked the judge in the eyes. I am taking personal responsibility for this one; I do not give my trust easily.
The judge sighed, removed his glasses, and rubbed his eyes. If this one goes sour were both going to take a lot of heat. Are you thinking of sending her to the 2-6 in Kings Row?
No, we dont think that is a stable environment. Wed like to give her more of a family feeling. I was thinking the Whitmoore.
The judges eyes widened a bit. Hero hotel? That place has had more than its share of drama over the years. Are you sure?
Indigo chuckled at the question. You know me, Im always sure. Maybe not always right, but always sure.
Ok, lets set her up with a parole officer. Anyone in the Whitmoore that we could put on contract to do it? Any Metaforces currently in residence that we could convince?
A few hours later everything was set up and Psi was outside in the marble hallway talking to Indigo.
Ok kiddo, it is all up to you now, dont let me down. Indigo stated. You have a little cash and your directions. Check in at the front desk, Mr. Green will be one of our contacts for this so let him know your whereabouts.
Psi was stunned; no one had ever helped her and definitely never gone out on a limb for her! She wiped a tear away as she shook Indigos hand but then couldnt help but give the smaller woman a hug.
Indigo stiffened a bit at the physical contact. Sorry dear, Im not much of a touchy-feely person. Now you get yourself to the Whit and get settled in.
Indigo was gone and Psi went into the bathroom to clean up her makeup. She looked at herself in the mirror and started bawling like a baby. She sat in the stall and cried the cry of a lifetime that was ten years in the making.
"Shut up Mr. Burton, you are not brought upon this world to get it!" - Lo Pan
@MadGremlin
Thank you for sharing, MadGremlin! Enjoyed reading all the segments tonight. (If that makes me crazy, I'll gladly accept the title. ;-> )
When Psilent Threat shows up in another story, would you please post a link in this thread? Especially if it is one other than the Whitmoore or PCU, as I would enjoy reading the further (mis)adventures of the psychic vampire. Update: Continuation of story in the Whitmoore thread.
Oh, and if the position to be her meta-parole/contract/officer is open, please drop me a PM. I, too, have someone I'd like to tie in at the Whitmoore who I think would work well for the job.
~Yydr
I have been writing bits and pieces of this for years. It started as an entry into the thread titled Paragon City 2029 (look back several pages, it's still there nice concept but didnt take off well). Well, I never posted it there and then I figured Id adjust it and make it the explanation for conversion from villain to hero for one of my characters. The I thought maybe it could be an entry to another RP thread (Whitmoore) but may or may not continue it there. Im not sure I can write from a female point of view for very long without being too overly stereotypical and clichéd.
Now, I am neither a great writer nor am I very clever (Id be doing something more creative if I were) so there arent too many wow moments. Still, I figured Id post and share it; or else it will sit in a word document until I lose it with a computer crash at some point. So feel free to comment or critique as you wish or just read it (or not if it is that bad).
So enough introduction, here it is:
Psilent Transition:
Part 1
Location: Paragon City Founder's Falls:
The scene: A small bank at the far end of Founders Falls. A group of four villains steps over the body of a dozen dead or unconscious Paragon Police Department members and one unconscious hero as they walk into the underground vault.
A large male in black metal armor speaks in a deep electronic voice: Heh, Paragons finest can kiss my metal butt! Were invincible, eh Vortexus?!!! Energy crackled from his metal gauntlets as he tore into the interior of the vault to gather valuables.
Yes yes, we are Smash Pile. Sighed a man in a dark costume with a swirling pattern on the chest. Now get to collecting the loot here. He commanded. He touched stacks of cash and other valuables and they disappeared in a swirl of energy.
Im counting those stacks Vortexus so you dont skim again! Growled a bestial looking criminal with vicious claws.
Vortexus turned toward the clawed beast. You best watch what you say Noxturnus, without my portal ability you wouldnt even get one foot in this town before they threw you back in the Zig! He snapped.
Noxturnus was about to reply when a slender female, who had been picking only the finest jewelry out of the safe-deposit boxes, spoke. Though she spoke in barely a whisper the words reverberated in the minds of her cohorts. Boys, if you insist on carrying on like this Im sure that Paragon would be happy to provide some more entertainment in the form of high security rating heroes, but Id rather take my things and go. She smiled, struck a pose, and purred a little as she viewed some of the finery she had acquired.
The comment struck home and after a few nasty looks the others continued their work. Just stay out of my head Psi. Noxturnus growled to the sexy psionic.
Psilent Threat, as she was known, had grown up in Paragon City. Her father had been a minor mutant hero but had died when she was very young. Her mother had retreated to booze and pills and managed to waste the rather large insurance policy her father had left. Psi had manifested psionic powers early with little ability to control them. Even in a good situation that was difficult to deal with, but for her it was a disaster. She was only 16 when she was sent to the Zig.
Shed run away from home, lived on her own on the streets, running with various gangs. A vigilante hero had befriended her for a while, but simply used her to help hunt down criminals. She soon ran from him but another hero tried to bring her in she put him in the hospital and that earned her a trip to the Zig.
But now she was Psilent Threat, a resident of the Rogue Isles. Sure she had to put up with the ranting Arachnos leadership but she lived a good and comfortable life.
They were just about done when they heard something reinforcements and it sounded like heroes. Vortexus was quick, and even as the wild energies of the heroes struck he had portals created for each of them. Psi leapt through the closest portal as a wave of energy struck
Location: Paragon City(?)
zzzzzzZZZZZZZEEEEEEE!!!!
The buzzing sound slowly grew to a whine as a strange distorted portal appeared. Suddenly a body was unceremoniously dumped into the ruins with a loud "CRUNCH" and the portal dissipated.
Psilent Threat gasped for air - the portal transport had never been that unsettling before! Her body ached and her head hurt. When she had caught her breath she sat up. "Ouch!" A sharp pain in her lower arm made it clear she probably had a fracture.
She looked around and saw nothing but devastation - where was she? Was this lower Mercy Island? Siren's Call? No...it didn't look right. Maybe the Rikti war zone? Even that didn't seem right - there was no ship and the destruction was almost total. She gingerly climbed to her feet. Last thing she remembered was...jumping into a portal in the Founders Falls bank
She looked around and saw it - a broken granite marker: "Founder's Falls Savings and Trust"
"Oh my..." she exclaimed as she ran her hand over the words. It was clear it, as well as everything around it had taken blast damage. "What the hell happened?" She wondered aloud.
She let down her mental defenses just a little bit and reached out to see what she could feel. There were people here...but not many. The thoughts were depressed and dark...and NO! She retreated rapidly, she'd "tasted" that type of thought pattern before; the Lost were still active and that meant Rikti too. She couldn't risk opening herself to one of them in her weakened state.
Time to see what the rest of the city looks like. She looked down at herself - her fancy costume was definitely worse for wear and the small vest that she used to tauntingly cover herself was showing off more of her charms than usual.
"Damn, I can't wander around like this, I look like a vagrant." She complained to no one in particular. There was not much to see from this spot so she tested her legs for a moment and concentrated to give them the energy to propel her up to a hillside.
Landing gracefully she still winced as she was reminded of her injured arm. "I have to get this fixed soon, but first..." She scanned the area and located what was once the roadway to Talos Island - now a debris filled cave. As she was about to head that direction a tree by her began to move. "Damn! Devouring Earth!" She leapt away but not quickly enough as the beast threw thorns at her. The thorns bit into her flesh even through her mental shield. She cried out and fell with a splat into what was once a side canal - now just a swampy area. The sap was poisonous and stung intensely. Through the pain she pulled the barbed spines out of her flesh.
She lay there for several minutes in pain, flies and mosquitoes buzzing around her.
"Get up Psi!" She said, trying to convince herself to get moving. I'll just get to Skyway - we always kept a safehouse there and I'll just hole up and rest for a while, she thought to herself.
She was motivated even further as bubbles rose from the water and a dark shape began to move toward her. With a splash she was up and moving, the pain from her cuts, bruises, and injured arm making the movement painful.
In a couple leaps she was below the entrance. What was left of the roadway didn't look very stable so she paused before making the jump. She didn't want another fall so looked for a decent spot to land. Then, from the shadows below the ruined roadway she saw movement. First one...then another, then ten! Not human...not zombie, some kind of feral things! She could feel their hunger as they approached carrying makeshift clubs.
Psi backed away looking scared and the beasts could practically taste her fear. They moved up more boldly, forgetting their pack tactics and now moving as a group toward her. Just as she had planned. A moment of concentration and waves of mental energy swept over them activating their sleep cycles. All ten slumped to the ground and Psi smiled. "At least that hasn't changed."
She stepped into the middle of them and concentrated again - this time pulling energy from their sleeping forms to refresh her and help her heal. It wasn't much but it would have to do for now. A quick glance in the lair found an old trench coat with only a few blood smears and not too obnoxious a smell.
A few of the creatures were starting to stir so Psi donned the coat and jumped up to the Talos tunnel.
It took several minutes to climb through the wreckage that was the tunnel to Talos Island. Psi moved slowly and stealthily as there seemed to be several "things" living in the tunnel.
When she got a look at Talos she stood dumbfounded. The shining city on the island was a dark, dreary dump. She couldn't see details but the skyline was definitely wrong. She didn't even notice the two guards outside as she stared at the changed city.
"Hey, you there! Freeze in the name of the Paragon Authority Force!" One guard yelled. The other just said "Damn, another scab escaping the garbage zone!"
The men were dressed in grey uniforms with an odd symbol that reminder her of the Council, but the weapons looked vaguely like Arachnos build. Both men didn't wait and just fired. Psi, taken off guard barely ducked in time to avoid getting her head taken off by one blast but caught a glancing blow from the other and was thrown back.
She was no amateur and she rolled to her feet ready to fight. Her hand went forward and she grabbed the first guard's mind, pulling his deepest fears to the front. The guard grabbed his head and screamed in pain, unable to move. Before the other guard could act she placed thoughts in his head - "Your partner is stealing from you, sleeping with your wife, and is planning to kill you...take him out first!"
The second guard immediately forgot about Psilent Threat and fired on his partner. He moved forward beating the man with his energy weapon while Psi moved up behind him continuing to mentally urge him on. Soon the first guard was little more than a bloody pulp and the second guard stood, breathing heavily at his effort. Psi, right behind him now, grabbed his head and a flash of mental energy erupted as she devoured his brain energy.
The guard fell. His eyes rolled back in his head and he quivered slightly as drool dribbled out of the corner of his mouth. Psi shuddered slightly - she didn't like having to feed that way but being a psychic vampire meant that part of her sustenance had to come from the mental energy of sentient creatures. She didn't have to kill with her power but at this point she was desperate, hungry, and fighting for her life - it was not time to play nice.
She dropped to one knee - yes the "food" helped but she was hurt and tired. Despite the warm sun that was slowly setting she felt a little chill run through her. She was certain that landing in that swamp with open wounds was likely to have unpleasant consequences.
"Ok, time to get to that safehouse in Skyway and find out what the heck is going on." She gritted her teeth and jumped, trying to stay out of sight and on the less traveled areas. Unfamiliar aircraft patrolled the skies - some looked like modified Arachnos fliers while others had a Skyraider feel to them, and most had Council-like symbols! All of this in Talos Island? Where was the Paragon police? Or Longbow? She never thought that she would want to see the police or Longbow but they would have been a welcome familiar sight at this point.
"Keep moving Psi, no one to count on but yourself! Just like it has always been." She growled to herself as she dodged what looked like a patrol of Malta robots. Fortunately they had been distracted by some kind of zombies and she moved quickly past.
The warehouses by the tunnel to Skyway had definitely gone downhill. There were shanties built up around them and the rooftops were in bad shape. The later turned out to be a problem for Psilent Threat. Not knowing that the rooftops were old and weak she landed and crashed right through, tumbling painfully to the floor inside. The fall knocked the wind out of her and added an array of cuts and bruises to her current assortment.
Psi lay on her back and struggled for breath. She was just starting to catch her breath when she heard a voice. "Well what have we here? A present from above? Smells like a meta...well get good money for a meta."
Psi's eyes snapped open and she saw several gi-wearing men with tattoos moving cautiously forward. "Oh &%$#*! Ink men are not what I need now!" She thought to herself and jumped to her feet. The effort sent ripples of pain coursing through her body.
There were three of them and they quickly moved to surround her, smiling in anticipation of an easy victory. Their clothing was not the fine silks of the Tsoo she knew they looked dirty and unkempt.
The first one activated a tattoo and she felt even more like lead than before as he sapped her of some of her speed. The second tossed down the ever present Tsoo caltrops. The final Tsoo hurled a fist full of shuriken.
Psi dodged low and rolled catching a glancing blow from a shuriken in the shoulder but managed to avoid the caltrops on her way through. It hurt - bad - and she was in no condition to fight, but she wasn't about to give up now. She wouldn't get taken down by these losers.
Her hand snapped out and she overloaded one man's brain. It was a brute force tactic but it worked and he grabbed his head and screamed, unable to even think. She kept moving, making her enemy have to move through each other to get to her. The farther one pulled out a small crossbow and took aim but before he could fire she pulled all will from him and left him standing still in a sleep-like state.
But the last one was on her with his fists glowing. He was fast and one blow caught her. Though it was not a solid hit the energy in his fists was like grabbing a live wire.
"You piece of *&$%!" She yelled through gritted teeth. "I'll turn your brain into freaking guacamole!" She poked at his brain with a sharp spike of mental energy but it barely slowed him down and his martial strikes were keeping her off balance.
Many psionically active individuals had fine telekinetic control. Psi had never trained much in that aspect much but had a few tricks. She pushed upward with all of her mental strength. The surprised Tsoo Ink Man was hurled into the air like a rag doll. Had he been expecting it, he might have been able to regain his balance and land well, but that was not the case. He landed hard in an awkward position and struggled to get up. With a little breathing room now Psi could concentrate and she grabbed his head with both hands.
She had restraint this time - he'd probably recover just fine after a week or so of rest, headaches, and some amnesia, but for now he was a limp heap of flesh.
She looked at the other two - the first one was starting to recover and Psi knew she was in no condition to continue the fight. In a couple leaps she was through a broken window at the front of the warehouse and into the tunnel to Skyway.
This one only had a few debris and Psi avoided any confrontations with the things that moved in the shadows. She was hurting and tired and needed a place to rest and recover.
After seeing Talos she figured Skyway might be different and it was - even worse that Talos. Several of the highways were broken and crumbling, infested with nests of little clockwork. Again there were strange aircraft and even armored vehicles patrolling the area. The buildings were in bad shape - some burnt out and abandoned while others were just in need of some serious repair.
Psi figured that the safehouse was long gone and dodged toward a run-down office building. A few floors still had lights on and seemed to be occupied but several were dark and had broken or boarded windows. She leapt onto the window ledge, pulled off a board, and climbed in. It was dark but she could see old decaying cubicles half collapsed around the room. Papers blew along the floor and Psi shivered slightly. Everything ached as she moved around looking for a safe place to rest. Ah-ha, rest rooms and a first aid kit on the wall! She excitedly opened the rusted metal box on the wall but much to her dismay it crumbled and fell to the floor the remaining contents rotted and useless.
She felt the emotion well up in her but quickly snapped it back down - no time for that now. She found a sharp piece of metal and found some carpet that wasn't too neglected, then cut up the carpet and dragged it to an interior office. She wrapped herself up and quickly fell asleep.
Her sleep was disturbed and fitful, full of visions of chaos and evil. She kept seeing the leaders of the various villain groups - Council, Arachnos, CoT, Malta - all laughing over the ruin if Paragon City.
She awoke with a start as a peel of thunder echoed through her makeshift home. Water dripped in through a variety of cracks and holes in the ceiling. She was cold - not that the rain was all that cold but she was clearly feverish. Her arm hurt where it was fractured, various cuts and scrapes had started to scab and complained at every movement, her back hurt from the fall, and bruises off all shape, size, and color screamed out to lie still.
After making her way to the bathroom and finding that the water in the sink didn't work, she found a few containers that weren't too rotted and collected some of the rain water. The corroded mirror in the bathroom had shown her what she looked like - not so pretty right now. Wasn't it just yesterday that she was adorning herself with the fine jewelry of the wealthy of Paragon City?
Now came the tough part. She retained some of the memories of those that she had drained and could look back at them. She had to be careful though - it was easy to get lost in some of the strong emotions and she was not in any shape to resist.
After an hour of meditation she had some idea somehow the Council had won, and now ruled with some of the other villain groups still involved. But something was off a bit. Psi thought shed heard about Portal Corp and even Arachnos going to other dimensions, including alternate earths. Yup, she was on what was known as Council Earth. The Council had won and Paragon was a ruined shell of what she was used to.
So the burst of energy as she entered the portal had transported her to Council Earth!
Wow, so this is what happens when the bad guys win? She said as she sat back against a wall.
Now she had never been a saint - quite the opposite. In order to live the life of luxury and feel the thrill of getting away with it she had done some pretty bad things, but the fact that the psychotic leaders of Council, Malta, Arachnos and such were now running the show scared her. How could this have happened? With the abundance of heroes willing and able to pound villains to slush...maybe the renewed Rikti invasion and in-fighting between factions (Longbow and Vanguard hated one-another after all) left the door open for the villains to take over?
"Shut up Mr. Burton, you are not brought upon this world to get it!" - Lo Pan
@MadGremlin