The Trials ((RP!))

((Haha, only you and Charon would get em, but I do it anyway just because its fun))

Trifecta: Part 1

"In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order." - Carl Jung
Karnal Sin sat in a room that reminded her of her cell in the Zig – less the filth – but definitely barren and boring. The walls were gray, but not a warm gray – rather a cold gray that was uninviting and slightly uneased her, with only the thin metal door breaking up the monotony. There was but a table in the room – rectangular – not unlike the kinds of tables you find in an interrogation room, except that her metal chair had quite comfortable cushioning, and all legs were the same length. The lights were decently illuminating – though, honestly, she’d prefer it be badly lit and let her imagination run wild with what COULD be in the room – blank walls were not visually or mentally appealing.

“I’m glad that you’re on board with this, sugar…” Karnal Sin spoke into the empty room, trying to keep herself occupied as she waited, “though I don’t know WHY they are making us wait. You think with all the trouble they went through to get us out of that prison they’d give us coffee or som-“

The door opened abruptly, cutting off her train of thought, and a tall, slender, unmasked man walked in. He was wearing a similar orange jumpsuit to her pants and had a controlled yet bewildered look on his face. Good looking, the man carried with him a disheveled demeanor, even though his attire was standard. His eyes darted across the room before finding a resting spot on her – Karnal couldn’t help but notice his eyes dilating for just a moment.

One of Judex’s ranks followed closely behind him and shut the door after he crossed the threshold. The masked man lifted a gloved hand towards the empty seat next to Karnal, his voice calm, “Please, have a seat, Judas.”

Karnal Sin racked her mind for the name, but she came up blank, cursing Kathryn for ever getting the implant removed. Her training and defenses kicked into high gear – resulting in her sitting relaxed in her seat, her knees crossed in Judas’s direction.

Judas flashed a smile at her, "Madam! Hey, look, we match!" An enthusiastic hand pointed to her jumpsuit.

Karnal Sin pursed her lips a little, her neck stretched as she looked up from her seat at Judas, "In more ways than one, I imagine..." she stood, barely reaching his shoulders before nodding, nearly bowing to him.

Judas nodded back at her and reached out his hand, "I highly doubt that. Judas Black."

Smirking at his rebuttal, Karnal took his hand, she held it gently, not really shaking it, "Kathryn Moore." She looked over at the Judge while still holding Judas's hand, "Sorry, I didn't think you'd be inclined to introduce us," she said while winking to the mask man.

Judas chimed in, "Pff, they're very busy not making any sense and being vague about it. You look familiar, though. Have we worked together before?" He recognized her from idly watching the television and seeing her on the news.

Turning back to Judas, Karnal tilted her head to the right; her brows furrowed ever so slightly, "Not to my recollection, though my memory is not what it used to be..."

“Maybe we do have a lot in common, then! Ditto." He let go of her hand then and sat down, he placed his legs, ankles crossed, onto her seat and smirked up at her. "Got an alias?"

Karnal Sin looked over at the Judge before turning her attention back at Judas, "Paragon calls me Karnal Sin...you are welcome to read into that what you will." She throws her head back laughing, a full laugh without maliciousness. "So I take it you were in the Zig, as well..." she continued as her laughter died down. She turned to the Judge, "Can you not give us something more suitable to wear? I feel on blast here..."

"Ohhh, so you're Xanny's Spoils of War." Judas gave her another look up and down. "I see war has its benefits!"

She narrowed her eyes a little at the title, "Hardly, but I understand why you would think that, pet."

Judas simply grinned at her, partially enjoying her obvious annoyance, "War gives all kinds of goodies, Miss Sin. But yes, I do agree, I tire of the orange jump suits. If you could, Jeeves."

The judge remained silent looking at them both without any sense of a facial expression before breaking the silence, his chin lifted, ignoring their inquiry, "We have brought you here for a specific purpose, Judas...Kathryn...AND Karnal..."

Judas looked between the Judge and Karnal Sin, “AND SLAPHAPPY,” pleased that he no longer felt left out.

Karnal Sin chuckled before the Judge continued, "Let us introduce OURSELVES then..."

The Judge sat back in his seat a bit, "We are an organization that was formed in response to the corruption of the system set in place in our society,” he paused for just a moment, "You both should have been killed for your crimes, and yet, here you are..."

Making a face, Karnal asked, "So you want us dead. Not a selling point, love..."

The Judge shook his head, "No. We want you very much alive. However, the fact that you two are sitting here with us only further drives home our point."

Judge Caesum turned to Judas, "Unlike your assumptions, Judas, we DO know what you want - both personally and existentially."

Judas stretched his arms and yawned, "Better take a seat, Sin. This might take awhile."
Karnal smiled over at Judas, "Indeed," as the Judge himself smirked.

"Judas, the system is broken. We want to fix it. We'd prefer a perceived chaos than to the perversion that is in place right now."

"That is a benefit of war..." Judas responded.

Caesum quickly looked to Karnal Sin, "Kathryn, like the Dominion, we want peace. But we want a peace that can be accomplished by means of the inside out."

Karnal nearly snarls at him addressing the other, but is subdued quickly by Kathryn, nodding at him, "Overseer never really did understand that aspect and always preferred brute force..."

Caesum stared between them, "And your other, personal agendas...well...we are an organization in which that information comes easily to us...and if you join us...can come easily to you."

Judas raised an eyebrow and looked to Karnal, "Is he coming onto us?" causing his new friend to throw her head back laughing genuinely.

She rested her hand on his knee, speaking through a smile, "Don't worry, love, I'll protect you.”

Judas snorted, "I highly doubt that," followed by a smile and a laugh, "All right Jeeves, we've heard the pitch. Now what?"

Kathryn maintained her grin, nodded to Caesum, her jaw clenched slightly as she speaks, “I may lack the ability to read your mind anymore, but I assure you, your mask doesn’t protect you from me detecting your lies, pet.” Her words eased off her tongue and into the air between them.

Caesum remained unphased, “We have but one catch.”

"Of course!" Judas pointed at the Judge accusingly, "Let me guess. It involves something we don't really want to do."

Caesum's mood lightened a little, "Actually, you two should enjoy this very much..." Judas turned his head towards Karnal and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, eliciting a playful wink from his new associate.

Caesum overlooked this completely, “Your first assignment is immediate and it is vital in its success.”

Karnal Sin’s mouth perked up to one side in a smirk, her chin tilting down, a perfectly manicured eyebrow raised in question.

“There is an individual we need to finish our plans,” Caesum continued, and even though they couldn’t see his eyes, both Judas and Karnal Sin could easily read his sincerity, “Sebastian Kain.”

Karnal Sin instinctively grinned at the name – she had nothing but positive memories of Sebastian, shared by both her and Kathryn – he had always supported her efforts and he was immensely stimulating to speak with. She knew that had it not been for him, she wouldn’t have even been able to return to her body.

Judas Black instinctively groaned at the name – he had nothing but negative memories of Sebastian, shared by both him and his allies– he had always sabotaged his efforts and Sebastian was immensely frustrating to deal with. He knew that had it not been for him, he would have even been able to return Paragon to better conditions.

“Do this for us – and we will give each of you what you want – well…” he trailed his words emphatically, “We will give you the means in which to take what you want.”

Karnal Sin’s tongue slid across her teeth as she grinned, looking over to Judas, “Well, my sweet, I believe this is going to be fun.”

Judas ran a hand down his face. "Yes, I agree." His smile returned to his face. "I'm going to enjoy this." As much as he was not looking forward to it, it should be enjoyable with Karnal by his side. He is not sure what she can do, but his gut tells him she would be able to stop Sebastian from shanking his face, in the worst case scenario.

Kathryn’s voice rang in Karnal Sin’s ears: How are we going to get to him in prison?

Karnal Sin’s brows furrowed as she spoke, “A thought occurred to me – how are we going to get to him?”

The Judge smiled, the tips of his lips tickling the corners of his mask, “Leave that to us.”

----->((Warning: The following post has violence and suggestive themes...and is long))<-----

((Thank you to Xanatos, JoeSchmoe, and Luficia for RPing and helping out on this one!))


Desperate and Ravenous

“It is a fact that cannot be denied: the wickedness of others becomes our own wickedness because it kindles something evil in our own hearts.” – Carl Jung


* * * *

Present: The Office
“You’re a damn fool.”

Xanatos stood stoically behind the desk in his office, his eyes unfocused as he looked out the large, floor-to-ceiling windows. The room was noticeably colder as he continued to talk to himself, a quiet storm of anger brewing from the torrid of emotions he was feeling.

“Of all the obvious plays…” he continued, lost in his thoughts over what had been transpiring over the last few years of his life – from the death of friends, the rejection of his former supergroup, to the almost instantaneous support he was receiving from the Challengers regarding his wife.

She had been right – they didn’t want her there and had barely tolerated her.

His thoughts clouded over as he ruminated more on it.

That wasn’t his wife. This woman now parading around inside of her body – that wasn’t Kathryn. He was in the middle of convincing himself that he shouldn’t be so angry and should properly mourn the loss of his wife when a familiar smell brought him back to reality.

“I recognize that alluring odor…” he whispered to himself.

Xanatos spun on his heels and saw Karnal Sin daintily sitting on the edge of his desk, her eyes examining him casually. He immediately frowned behind his mask.

“I won’t ask how you got past the guards,” his tone was even keeled as he tried to keep himself under control.

Karnal smirked, her words a stinging mockery, “I didn’t sleep with them if that’s what you’re insinuating, pet.”

Widening his stance and squaring off his shoulders, he lowered his gaze to her, “What are you doing here, villain?”

She took a slow and deep breath through her nose, a sweet smile forming on her lips – it was a smile he thought he had at one point been familiar with.

“I love that word,” she said breathily, quietly, “and it sounds so sexy coming out of your mouth.” She punctuated her words with her movements, lying down onto the length of the desk on her side. With her right hand propping her head up, her hair falling lazily down onto the wooden façade, she rested her left hand across her waist.

The hero gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his willpower the only thing from stopping from striking the woman, “Get…OUT,” he managed, barely in control.

Ignoring him completely, she took her lazed left hand rubbed her neck gingerly, “Judas had a point earlier – I thought you heroes were against spousal abuse?”

“My wife is dead.”

A subtle frown came across Karnal’s as she was unsure on how to interpret his words – her eyes searched his face for a brief moment before retorting, “Technically.”

Xanatos’s fiery white eyes narrowed, his voice regaining some form of control, “You are not welcome here,” and with more authority, he ordered her, “LEAVE.”

Taking her time, she turned to lay on her back, not looking at him and stretching cat-like – the red leather corset, gloves, and boots, creaking under the pressure of being bound to her lithe body so tightly.

With her eyes still not looking at his, she asked in a half-moan, “Do you really want me to leave?”


“You need to make amends with your husband, RIGHT NOW,” Luficia glared at Karnal Sin, her small body standing between her and her colleague Xanatos. The hero sat at a table, lost in forlorn thought.

Karnal regarded Luficia as she wrapped her arm around Judas’s, resting her cheek on his shoulder. She wasn’t angry at the girl – amused was more the appropriate word. A small circle of onlookers, regular patrons of the inter-dimensional club, Pocket D, were trying desperately not to watch in an obvious fashion – they were failing.

Luficia continued, “Don’t you see what you’re doing to him? Just because of one stupid little kiss on the cheek MONTHS ago?” The response her words were eliciting from her target were not what she was expecting, as Karnal stifled laughs at her, making her more frustrated.

The buxom blonde snaked off of Judas, looking back at him; they shared a knowing smile. She turned towards Luficia, getting uncomfortably close to the small statured brunette.

“There is a lot more that is going on here than I think you realize, child,” Karnal Sin’s voice couldn’t help but sound mocking and it only fueled Luficia further.

“What, so that’s an excuse for you to go run off and sleep with that thing – Emperor Xanatos?”

Karnal’s hand rose to her chest in mock indignation, she addressed Judas, “Darling, this one really IS a little obsessive over my sex life!”

Judas snickered at the two of them.

“Funny, that you’re calling ME the child when YOU’RE acting like the child!” Luficia raised her hand at the taller blonde woman, only getting half way through her strike when Karnal Sin’s hand stopped her, gripping her wrist with inhuman strength.

Luficia winced, started to speak again, but was abruptly cut off when Karnal Sin’s hand released her wrist and raised her own hand into the air, waving it dismissively as if the hero was some errant pest in her way. The leggy blonde confidently walked past her – towards Xanatos – her stilettos clicking loudly in the quieter lounge of the club.

Xanatos’s head remained down, as if he wasn’t fully aware of his surroundings, not saying a word.

Karnal Sin stopped in front of him, her legs together, as she leaned forward and bent down to meet his gaze, both of her hands braced on her thighs, her elbows straight, “You look so blue, pet…everything okay?”

The morose hero didn’t look at his wife.

She stood up straight, almost sneering at him, “It’s for the best really – I prefer red anyway,” her words hung in the air, her sneer fully blossomed.

Luficia watched her friend just take the emotional taunting, her own anger growing.

The former consort about-faced, turning her back to the silent Xanatos, “I guess he doesn’t want to play,” she said with a wink to Judas.

Xanatos stood, towering over the petite villainess, the shadow of his form shading her from the dazzling lights of the club. Karnal Sin turned smoothly to look up at him, her neck arching at his height.

The hero proudly lifted his head, his dejected demeanor shed as the heartbreak changed tides towards anger. His muscled framed lurched forward, causing Karnal to jump a little defensively, but he walked past her to stand next to Luficia.

That was all the encouragement the small brunette needed as she released a bombardment of insults and degradations at Karnal Sin.

“You better watch your back! Or else you’ll get arrested just like we did that thing you shacked up with! And all over what? Just because of something stupid that happened between friends? He MARRIED you. You should be ashamed of yourself running off into the arms of that monster!” She was clearly referencing Xanatos’s praetorian.

Judas rolled his eyes at the yappy hero, looking around the two to look at Karnal Sin as they had blocked his line of sight, “Again with the sex!”

Smirking, Karnal Sin walked up to Luficia, summarily ignoring Xanatos once again, taking the affront with an amused look on her face.

“I’ll say it again, pet…”

“I’M NOT YOUR PET!” Luficia barked back at her.

Ignoring her outcries, Karnal Sin continued, “There is a lot more going on here than you realize. And if you want to play with the big kids, you are going to have to come out of that little naïve shell of yours.”

“I’m not taking any sort of advice from a *****.”

The word echoed in the lounge – the music, as if planned, stopping right as she bellowed it.

Karnal Sin hated that word and she had grown impatient with the hero. She raised the back of her hand, “Watch your tongue and learn some respect,” she began her strike, but before contact her wrist was gripped by a large yellow glove.

“ENOUGH.” Xanatos’s hand squeezed her wrist, nearly breaking it, his body shaking with a barely controlled rage.

Judas looked on, arms crossed, relaxed but prepared.

The hero twisted his wife’s wrist back, her knees buckling from the pain as she collapsed to the floor. Her winces of suffering cause him no pleasure, but he is stalwart in his anger and decision. He lowers his large frame to kneel down to her, her wrist still awkwardly bent.

His other hand reached out and grabbed her throat, unflinching as her hands instinctively reached up, trying to pry his vice-like grip.

Judas’s hands slid down the sides of his jacket, his fingers snaking around the cold metal of his pistols, “You got this,” he stated in a half question towards his comrade.

Karnal Sin’s attempts at speaking were hindered greatly by the sheer force of the choke, “Sure…I...” she tried to swallow some air, “…got this.”

Judas stood ready, much like he had done when they were being hunted down earlier that day.


“Xanatess, what are you doing?”

“Xanatess?” Judas looked over at Karnal Sin incredulously.

She flashed a dazzling smile his way, shrugging as she lamely explained, “Wasn’t my choice.”

“HA!” He belted the singular laugh in response, the both of them turning towards Springfist. He was an older hero, his gray hair striking against his boldly colored costume, but she knew he was capable. He had trained the likes of Charon and was a legend within the Old Guard ranks.

Judas and Karnal Sin had been around Atlas Park, trying to fulfill a portion of their mission from Judex in finding more information as to why Sebastian Kain had allowed himself to get arrested. Judex didn’t want them to go after him half-cocked. They were barely maintaining their cover when Judas ran to the Atlas Statue to attack it. He was quickly stopped by Springfist.

City Hall cleared itself of other heroes, the new trainee heroes wouldn’t stand a chance against professionals like Judas and Karnal – and they knew it.

Karnal Sin had immediately disappeared into the shadows when she caught sight of Springfist. She was no fool and didn’t discredit his abilities. When the hero had turned to Judas, spouting the obligatory lines expected from the old-timers, she revealed herself, triggering a battle between the two with Judas watching.

Judas liked to let her play, and enjoyed her twisted sense of entertainment from tormenting others. He couldn’t hide his smile as he watched the blonde beauty pace around Springfist, circling him like prey.

“So my husband sends an old geezer to find me?”

“He’s sent scores of us out looking for you. I have to take you in.”

Karnal threw her head back laughing, hysterically. Judas joined in. So did his thugs.

As Springfist stared at them in confusion, his eyes a little sad to see Xanatess carrying on in such a way, and consorting with the likes of Slaphappy, he was taken by surprise as she disappeared into the ether, only to reappear directly in his face, boot first, a breath later.

The kick landed Springfist on his back, the marble of the base of the Atlas statue barely holding up from the force of his body slamming into it.

She landed above his head, looking at him upside down.

Defiantly looking up at her, he stated, “Orders are orders,” he recovered, his body agilely leaping to his feet.

The battle that followed was over quickly. Judas permitted Karnal to play with her former colleague, taunting him, as she glided by, blowing on his ear hidden from his sight, as Judas laughed from the sidelines. Circling him like a hungry lioness, she taunted him, toyed his thoughts, thoroughly enjoying herself.

Once she finally decided to engage him head on, they met each other blow for blow – but Karnal Sin could only take the hits for so long – and it wasn’t until then that Judas joined in to keep the hero at bay. As Karnal happily backed off, licking her wounds, her heart just not into the fight, Judas dropped the old-timer easily, the mass volume of his bullets ripping into Springfist’s body.

The hero collapsed for good this time, having already risen on several occasions to continue the fight. He just couldn’t get up, he was exhausted – his body black, blue, bloodied, and beaten.

The two villains stood above him, his breathing barely visible as he slipped into unconsciousness. They looked at each other for a moment, the high from the fight leaving both of their senses.

“What should we do with him?” Karnal asked her companion.

“Let me put him out his misery, he’s lived a good life…” Judas immediately pulled one of his pistols out, pointing it down at the hero, “Let me take him out back…PAH SAYS I CAN’T KEEP YOU!”

Karnal raised her hands, resting them on Judas’s chest, “No wait…I have a better idea.” She reaches beneath her cape to the back of her belt, pulling the blue and yellow Xanatess mask out of a pouch.

“Give me one of your cigars, darling.”

Judas, not really following her intentions, gleefully acquiesced, “Oh yes!” He grabbed a cigar from one of his minion’s mouth, roughly opened Springfist’s and lodged it between his teeth.

Karnal Sin giggled, “No, give it here…” she lowered herself to grab the cigar, she placed it between her teeth, her right index finger pointed, and at its tip, using a concentrated and small burst of energy to light the tobacco, puffed on it expertly.

Judas stared at her, his head tilted, “Wha? Awww, that was a good look for him!”

Holding the mask out with her left hand, she took the cigar with her right, burning holes in it with the lit end. Kneeling down next to the unconscious hero, she stretched the material over his face.

“Let’s deliver him to my husband.”

Judas scoffed, “I’m not carrying him.”

“Get one of your boys to do it, silly.”

“Oh yeah! That’s what they’re here for, huh?”



Xanatos’s eyes were flaring furiously, the icy glare enough to worry Karnal in wondering if he was truly going to snap her neck.

“I will not rest until you are hunted down and imprisoned for your crimes,” he growled out at his wife.

And with that simple statement he flung her to the floor, “Come, Luficia.” He left the lounge with his fellow Challenger by his side.

Karnal tried to get up, her head still fuzzy from the lack of oxygen she just endured, when a hand placed itself in her face. Judas smiled down at her, “You’re fine.” She loved how he would state things so matter-of-factly instead of asking her – she took his hand and got to her feet.

“Well that was interesting,” she said, dusting herself off, visibly swallowing and rubbing her neck.

“Yes it was.” Judas snickered at her, affectionately brushing a hand through her hair to straighten it.

She leaned on his shoulder with her elbow looking out the door of the lounge where Xanatos and Luficia had just walked through, “He’s angry now…they’re so much more fun when they’re angry…”

“Yes they are.” She giggled at him, kissing his cheek lightly.

They shared a knowing look, twin grins spreading on their faces.


Karnal Sin didn’t break her bold gaze at Xanatos as she asked again, “Do you really want me to leave?”

Her husband said nothing, ice shards slowly formed around his enclosed right fist.

Ignoring his threatening stance, she took a slow breath, arched her back intentionally as she lifted her body off the table. Sitting upright, she ran a slender finger down the length of her red leather, thigh high boots idly, breaking the silence, “I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting you to defend the little girl like that…” She turned her head to the right, the corresponding shoulder lifting to meet her chin coyly, pouting out the words, “We’re hurt.”

Xanatos’s fist began to swirl with an icy halo, causing Karnal’s skin to rise in bumps at the drop in temperature of the already chilly room, the windows icing over as his body shook with anger, “Do not talk about Kathryn.”

Dropping the pout, she smirked, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow at him, “Why not?” She hopped onto the desk, kneeling, “Because you’re all hurt over what we did with Emperor Xanatos?” She scoffed, “Gods, you don’t even CARE that she killed a hero, do you?” The realization of this made her smile, “You DON’T, DO YOU?”

His eyes shut as he tried to control himself, “No,” he managed before taking a deep breath, “I won’t have a…monster…like you make a mockery of the most incredible woman I have ever known.”

He opened his fiery eyes as he finished the sentence, looking at her defiantly; “That’s why.”

“Most incredible woman you’ve ever known?” She stood up on the desk, pacing along the wooden façade as she spoke, “Past tense is key, though, huh, my love?”

He flinched at the affectionate term.

“You know, really…if you hadn’t interfered with Dominion affairs all those years ago, this wouldn’t be happening right now,” she turned on her heel pacing back down the desk slowly, “Tell me, Xanatos, what was it like; knowingly choosing the life of a villainess over a fellow hero?”

She stopped in front of him, bending down as she had before in the Pocket D, her hands on her knees, her elbows straight, meeting his face a mere inches away, “What was it like, ‘hero’?”

“She would’ve died if I didn’t get involved! Where was Chimera II? Rakescar? Machina Shard? Overseer? Fearghas? In the end, there was only me. Even a creature like YOU should respect that.” He practically snarled at her, his anger rising as he felt even more humiliated and ridiculous for having to justify saving her life to her.

Karnal tilted her head, still staring at him inches away, “Did you ever think that we weren’t suppose to live?” She smirked, continuing, “But you don’t care much about the ethical issues in playing God, do you?”

She took a breath, pausing, holding it before finishing, “Don’t you see? This is all your fault.”

“If you say so, villain.”

She stood up, looking down her nose at him, “There’s that word again…”

Karnal was silent for a moment, choosing her next words carefully, “So…how is our daughter? Don’t I get some type of visitation rights or something?”

And with that, Xanatos lashed out, an icy fist connecting with her jaw at full-force, carried not only by his physical strength, but by the frozen forces of nature he had summoned. The power of the blow threw Karnal loudly and violently backwards across the room into the opposite wall. She collided with it forcefully, her tiny yet powerful frame creating a small cloud of drywall, dust, and general debris around the hole the impact had just created.

“STAY AWAY FROM HER!” His yell was pure and unadulterated rage as he casually flipped his desk aside, as if it were made of paper, and continued to advance towards her, his eyes burning a bright white.

The dust began to settle and he narrowed his eyes attempting to peer through the haze. At first he saw nothing, then a dim gleam, a gleam that grew in intensity until all he could see were two red eyes, glowing furiously. Karnal was ready to play.

He braced himself for her counter attack. But when it did not come, the golden age wonder looked about curiously. His usually cautious demeanor was more frantic that usual, without so much of a whisper of her movement to feed upon.

“Where are you?!” he bellowed, his head darting around, trying to seek her out. Speaking into the empty room, he commanded; “Computer, locate Kathryn Moore.”

::Unable to located Karnal Sin::

“That’s not her nam—“ He was interrupted by a focused beam of energy bolting across the room. The strength of the blast warped the air, striking him square in the chest, singeing the fabric of his costume, and knocking him back with the force of a freight train. He shut his eyes in pain as he was slammed across the room, taking out a pillar as his body made a bee-line towards his library. Books exploded from their shelves as his hulking blue form hit home, before it collapsed forwards, twisting, and landing ungracefully on the hard marble flooring. As his head bounced off the formerly shiny surface, Xanatos caught a glimpse of the vivacious vixen swaggering towards him.

Overly confident, having never truly battled her husband before, Karnal glided over to him. Thinking her efforts had done a lot more damage than they had, she stood on his chest gleefully; the heels from her stiletto boots painfully digging into his flesh.

“Hmmph,” came the response as the hero’s' eyes opened, before he effortlessly threw her tiny frame aside. She slid across the now icy floor, before catching herself and leaping away from him. She landed in a kneeling position, slowly rising to her feet as he sauntered over to her, ice charging around his right hand.

“This time…STAY DOWN.”

He struck her again in the stomach, the ice claw around his hand slashing into skin as it ripped through the thick red leather of her costume. She responded by doubling over in pain. With his other hand, Xanatos grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her backwards, nearly lifting the temptress off her feet, causing her back to arch painfully.

He looked into her eyes, his left fist raised to strike her again, icy tendrils gathering around it – but something was stopping him.

His hesitation was her opportunity. She growled at him, her right arm hooking around to connect with his jaw, the raw physical energy surrounding her fist knocking him away from her and backwards through a nearby coffee table – utterly destroying it.

“I like to PLAY with my food, not tenderize it, PET,” her words slowly slinked their way to him as she raised herself from the floor and hovered over him, ice and assorted debris falling from her as she did so. She was not making the same mistake of getting too close to him – he has tricked her once before. This time she was putting a little more confidence into his skills.

His eyes opened to see her floating above him, seemingly allowing him to catch his breath. Her true intentions were far more devious for, as she caught sight of his gaze, her left hand casually extended in his direction, dripping raw energy like hot wax onto his chest. Putting his hands together suddenly, he fired an ice blast at her, but not before the energy rained upon him, burning holes in his costume. A drop landed on his facemask, forcing him to tear off the sheered material, the rest of his costume now precariously plastered to him with sweat and blood.

Karnal tried to block the ice blast with her forearms to no avail. She was shot, backside first into the ceiling of the office, the flimsy ceiling tiles shattering from the force of her crash. Reaching her arms out through the threshold of the ceiling, she grabbed at the edges of the hole she created – she was stuck. Quickly bracing her arms and legs, she pushed with all her strength and managed to dislodge herself, falling forcefully onto the couch beneath her, next to Xanatos. It crumpled under her tiny body.

“That the best you got, woman?”

Lifting off the couch and onto her feet, she wobbled a bit. Breathing heavily, her hands glowing defensively with energy, she looked down at herself – her red, leather uniform was in shreds, barely held together by the buckles, clips, and frame of her corset, her heel broken.

The hero began to swirl an ice storm around them, attempting to obscure her vision, causing her to wince at the gales of wind and ice shards slicing at her exposed skin. It was also obscuring his own vision, but it granted him time to think. He was attacking his wife. This wasn't right. Sure she was a villain...but should he be doing this?

Thoughts of his best interests never further from the front of her mind, she placed both her hands together, cradling a ball of energy that began to swell in sync with her heartbeat. The energy ball grew, fast, and faster, as her pulse picked up pace. Her entire body quickly began to glow with the fury of raw energy, her hair standing completely on end, as if trying to flee from the awesome force she was controlling. She had never been more powerful than she was in this moment as she galvanized every ounce of her rage and bloodlust.

Sensing, but not seeing, his wife, Xanatos leapt towards her. His long muscular arms outstretched, his gloved hands pawing in her direction as he tried to stop her before it was too late...

Speed always his enemy, and Xanatos was met with an explosion of raw, primal, energy that screamed through the both of them. She had not shielded herself to her own attack, deciding rather to simply react against his makeshift assault. The explosion battered through them both, their atoms crying out in unison as the pure, unrefined, uncontrolled energy ripped through their beings. A small crater formed under them as the magnificent explosion lit up the now heavily destroyed office.

Karnal Sin had gone nova.

Husband and wife lay opposite one another in the middle of the aftermath, both struggling to breathe. The hero was lying on his back again, his vision blurring in and out of focus. The villain, Karnal, managed to drag herself to her feet. She sneered as she staggered upright, the act had not been easy, but when she saw her husband laying there, the "mighty" hero Xanatos, she couldn't help but smirk to herself, intermittently, as she struggled to breathe for the second time that night.

Her airways now having calmed themselves, Karnal lifted herself from the ground, her battle-ravaged body glided over the crater that had once been an office, towards the wearied form of Xanatos. As she glided, the buxom beauty reached down and casually snapped off her remaining heel, tossing the broken piece to the side, the patches of ice causing it to skid erratically on the floor. She touched down atop his chest. Pressing one boot towards his heart forcefully, she hovered the other above his nether regions threateningly, a smile creeping along her full lips.

Xanatos’s head was spinning – the surprise energy attack making it hard for him to clear his already befuddled mind. His body ached from the potency of her assault. Her descent into villainy had made her stronger; fiercer. She was more dangerous now than she had ever been. He had been a fool to underestimate her; to hold back because she was his beloved. Now he lay battered and broken before her. Yet, ever the fighter, he raised one arm weakly, trying to move her from him, “V-villain…”

Her smile morphed into a smirk, her foot moved to rest on his inner thigh, “You can call me Mistress Sin, if you’d prefer, husband.” As she spoke, she allowed the pointed tip of her boot to dig into his thigh.

“It’ll take more than tha—“

She grinned, a shot of energy raced down her body, down her leg, and into him.

“—AAAAGGGGHHHHHH!” Xanatos arched his back and cried out in pain as energy coursed through his body. His arms, with what little energy they had left, pressed down onto the crater that had once been his office.

His wife stopped the outburst by lowering herself next to him, resting her tiny body in the nook of his arm and shoulder, her left arm pressed down on his chest, gentle coos of comfort coming from her lips, “Take this moment to rest, my love…” Karnal’s hand that had been holding him down began to trail along the contours of his clavicle, “…at least Kathryn’s being honest with herself now,” she spoke in a whisper, as if commenting on some question that had been hanging between them.

“Are you ready to be honest?”

Xanatos breathed out sharply as she touched him, her caress still making him respond in ways he wished it didn’t. He continued to glare at her, his right hand, slowly and weakly, moving to stop her.

She saw his hand, “Oh…not yet?” The hand that had been caressing him moved with frightening quickness, grappled at his thick, chorded neck. She squeezed, but her hand was small in comparison to the muscular hero, so she gripped his windpipe viciously.

“Too bad I can’t see you turn another shade of blue.” Propping herself up a bit, she flicked her other wrist, forming thin ringlets of energy to bind him to the floor.

She braced her hand around his neck, her fingers extended and flexed to form claws. Her nails, long since sheathed from the nearly nonexistent gloves, raked down the length of his broad chest, his skin ripping open, a trail of dark red blood following in their wake.

The hero cried out in pain, involuntarily jerking, the ringlets of energy keeping him secured.

Her eyes were manic, the normally coral gaze now a hazy red, as she leaned forward to his chest, licking at his wound gently, tasting his blood for a moment. Her tongue languidly relished along her lips, her eyes closed as she lifted herself to be centered on his stomach, straddling his broad frame. She tilted her head to left for a moment, regarding her work, his strong heartbeat causing the blood to gush forward rhythmically. With her wrists together, she started on his left and clawed across this chest horizontally, creating a seething, bloody gash, mimicking his hero’s cross on his uniform.

Xanatos cried out again, through gritted teeth, his jaw clenched, “Raaaaaagggghhhhh!”

When she stopped, he sucked in his breath, looking up to gaze into the eyes of his wife. He paused as he studied her, looking for a trace of the women he fell in love with – only to find her – that very woman, now glaring back at him, her own eyes burning with pure sadism. Her uniform hung around her in tatters, her hair a wild storm on her crown, her lips smeared with blood – his blood. She had, in that instant, truly transcended into the animalistic Carnal Sin itself. There was no love behind her eyes, just pure, raw, wanting.

She pressed her hips into him, the warmth of her body a stark difference to his lowered body temperature. Laying on top of him now, her body slicked in his blood, she glided up the length of his torso, her skin’s friction not allowing his wounds to clot and they bled furiously. Meeting his face with her own, she rested her elbows to cradle his Adam’s apple. Karnal regarded him for a moment before speaking, in a whisper, her breath hot against his skin, “Do you love me?”

Xanatos had been arching his back, pressing his body away from her into the floor. As he heard her question, he stopped suddenly, unable to answer. He fought against himself as he looked at her, watching in fascination and horror as she lifted off his neck, her hands sliding between them to his bleeding cross. She pulsed energy through him, causing his entire body to shake and convulse; wracked with pain.

Momentarily stopping from her play, she gave him a minute of respite. She didn’t move. She just sat there, on him, waiting.

The hero, a broken man, desperately trying to work through the flurry of emotions inside of him, answered simply, “Y-yes.”

She closed her eyes, a sick smile on her face as she heard the words she had been waiting for, kissing his chin lightly, before leaning back again.

“No,” she said simply.

He looked at her strangely as she rebuffed him.

“Not yet.”

His face contorted in confusion and pain; “Wha…?”

She leaned down to him, her face an inch from his, her eyes locked in his gaze, “Not until you have really ventured into the dark corners of your mind…that place that has always been hidden from me…where you truly understand the symbiosis of pleasure and pain, darkness and light…where you can truly understand ME, and yourself…then…then you will love me.”

"Until then, you will know only pain."

-------------------------------------------
Wisdom - a fading mindset, Part 1
-------------------------------------------


--------------------------
One single mind, set for an eternity of thought processes – cells overworking themselves, past their expiration point. You can acquire wisdom, life lessons, and every day scenarios over and over and it can lead to insanity. Whether it’s watching those you love die or the world around you change so rapidly - that just when you figure you're finally a modern citizen, suddenly you find - you're still old fashioned and lost the point in evolving yourself. What of those immortals who were already loners from the start? The ones who preferred themselves, rather than others surrounding them, and giving them a sense of societal pressures? Wisdom is merely an argument against other's judgments – a simple play on words. Anyone, given a quick thought process and listening ear, can veil any sentence to be a word of wisdom. Anyone can manipulate others into thinking, 'Because it was said this way, it seems like a valid point.' For Kichi, it was that simple – manipulating words, sentences, and thought processes into sounding as she was speaking true words of wisdom. People would tend to stand by those manipulating words, agreeing with the supposed valid point. Taking a human life? Killing freely, simply for the gain of more money to fill your wallet? Where was the wisdom that led this woman not to be sought out as a monster? Simple – unique life style choice.


Kichi was immortal, un-killable, and never aging; what real reason would she need money for? No one has the real ideal of why someone has the true judgment of whether someone should live or die. If God wished us not to kill, why give us the option to? What, it’s just some test for purity, to have us see that a life is worth holding back your weapons? Why give us the skill we obviously have, if not to use it? Animals kill other animals – for dominance, food, order.


In this day and age, animals can stand upright and speak. They are simply man, too. Should we tell them not to do what they were born doing? Man did the same as mere cavemen. Survival is the key, not purity. But of course, though true judgment of life is hard to find - most of us still have our self respect. Not to kill true innocents or children. However, that can still be altered with manipulated wisdom.

Martyrs, innocents killed for the cause.

Children who were born to destroy the world, fate as it were - those should be dealt with early, correct?

Abortions – saving a child from a life of hate, pain and hard upbringing. Say what you want, that is still an area of murder. Being paid to kill who others think is the right choice to kill, why argue with it?

See, immortals like Kichi, the 'true flame assassin', have too much time in their hands to realize the world is simply that – a world – full of different sets of minds and morals.

But given the right push…anyone's mindset can be manipulated.


It was a quiet night. The fire pit in Saint Martial burned a bit darker that day. Maybe it was the colder weather, who knew. The Isles tend to have fairly random sets of hot, cold, neutral days.

Kichi stood by and watched the fire pit idly. This is where she tended to over-think, to manipulate her own self with thought processes.

Why gain friends? What is TRULY a friend? Why do we find types of food more delicious? We all mush it in our mouths and shove it down a hole, ending up in our stomachs. What is the point in taste buds, then? To make us believe life can get better with a mere taste of something?

These types of random thoughts came to a halt. There was an unfamiliar heat pattern felt. The crimson eyes of the over-thinker darted around to find the intrusion, finally coming to rest upon a man - dressed in black and white. His face was covered, aside from his mouth. He seemed like a drone, nothing more than a messenger. Everyone is so easy to gain a life story from, just by a simple glance.

"We have been watching you." He says, his tone devoid of emotion or inflection.

"Many do." She could have asked, 'we?' but why bother?

"You have lost your judgment. We wish for you to regain it."

"Many think they can decide my sense of judgment for me."

"Like your father?"

There was something in the way he uttered those words. 'Like your father?' The masked man had a winning poker face, he never even referred to himself as a person, simply as a 'we', yet he was going with a personal route. Was he attempting to manipulate the manipulation master?

"Like my father, correct." She retorted, her own poker face strong.

"We wish to know if you agree with his sense of judgment."

"Why does it matter?"

"You seem to have issues with people deciding what's wrong, and what's not. Do you wish to be free of that?"

"Who doesn’t?"

"We think you seek actual order. We can offer that."

She's heard that line, one in a million times. But…something about his utter distaste for being singular, his ease with being a plural – it caught her interest.

It is odd, seeing as how being a lone wolf made her happy, or an ideal of happy. But what is the most alone a person can be?

Not having your own identity, at all.

Her chin raises, "You aren't really telling me what that offer is."

"You're on trial, being judged. We wish to give you an assignment. Do you accept?"

Kichi remains silent, waiting for him to go on.

The masked man takes the hint, "We wish for you to break your father's underground control. Get rid of his resources. Make him temporarily powerless, and free yourself of his reign."

Free of his reign? Betraying the 'flame assassins'?

"We will be in contact," and without waiting for a response, he simply walked away. Kichi felt he knew better, than for her to ask more questions.

The word assignment seemed so simple. But this task would magnify into the hardest thing she has ever done. Everything her family has worked for, she was going to cut a simple string, leaving it - even for a moment, temporarily powerless. It could take months, maybe years - to rebuild those resources.

He was right. The thought did feel freeing. Maybe there is a real judgment out there.

((Well the godmoding is agreed on before hand. I.e. The fight scene written between Karnal and Xan in the office was all godmoded, literally Xan wrote: "alright let's godmode and beat the crap out of each other" We didn't know how it was going to end, who would win, but it was insanely fun. When in-game, we let the RP unfold organically. No one is the story-teller I'm about to read yours in a second now ))

Prologue
Judex Base of Operations
Karnal Sin sat in silence, an uncommon occurrence, as those around her spoke indistinctly in the hushed voices of the room. It had taken weeks, nearly two months, for her and Judas to accomplish their assignment. She didn't know what exactly Judex were holding out in front of Judas's face to entice him into cooperation beyond some vague platitudes, but with finally bringing them Sebastian Kain, it was all she could do but demand that they hold up their end of the bargain. She wanted this body to herself and Kathryn wanted out.

The passing two months was a flurry of activity. She had developed interesting and aimless contacts in her drunken daze spent in the Pocket D, participating in some would-be end-all plan of Baron Blitzman's, with her new bizarrely placed bodyguard - Misnomer.

The man both intrigued and infuriated her as she had been unable to get any significant information out of him at all. There was no agenda she had in discovering his ambitions and motivations, more sheer habit and years of training of intel gathering, but he was a skilled dancer in the waltz of misinformation. The thought of him got her mind turning once again as the black and white clad individuals gathered around her.

"Lay back," one of the indistinguishable individuals said.

Blinking, she did as she was told, unsure if it was a good or a bad thing that she had become accustomed to lying back on medical tables to be tampered with. It had all started with Neutron One and the Dominion's enhancements of her skills nearly a decade ago, Noctis Phasma and Sister Psyche’s vain attempt in fixing her multi-consciousness problem six years ago, only to be followed with the removal of one of those technological implants years later by the K'Tar. She hoped that the current meddlers would be gentler in their ministrations.

One of the Judges spoke up, the soft, lyrical voice of Judge Niveum, "Do not worry yourself, Sin. Removal of the persona shouldn’t take any time at all."

"I'd appreciate you not reading my mind, darling," Karnal spoke up towards the blinding light that was the only significant illumination in the room.

"Such feelings will be eliminated once your conditioning is complete," the petite Judge said with the tone of reassurance, but the words were anything but comforting.

Judas had already started his conditioning within Judex and while he had maintained much of himself through the process – he had definitely changed. She wondered if she was even able to be conditioned to their system, or if the three years of Dominion training would hold stubborn and true within her.

A musky odor wafted over to her and she felt the presence of Judge Album. He was the most unnerving of the Judges she had met and the most she feared of becoming when she was to go through the conditioning. Soulless, charmless, nearly robotic. The hulking form of Album loomed over her and much to her surprise he placed one of his large, gloved hands on her shoulder - not pinning her to the table, but resting, "This is what you wanted." His words were soft, but firm, as if warning her, "And this is what we need."

Murmurs filled the room and then quickly dissipated as the Judges filed out, leaving only Niveum, Album, herself, and the blanketed form of a body on the operating table next to her.

With her head turned, she peered at the shapely form of the soulless body next to her, a wave of thoughts pounding into the shoreline of her mind. She didn't know what was coming next - would the psychological construct that was Kathryn Moore, the fake persona created by the K'Tar thrive in a hollow shell? Would they remove all of her? Some of her? Will she really be free of her and the lies?

"We are ready. Prepare yourself."

Niveum had moved to stand next to Album, her hands cupping Karnal's flushed cheeks. The female Judge's masked face seemed calm as ever, her mouth slightly open as she began to breathe slowly and methodically. A few short moments passed before she felt the pang of her psychic connection jar her mind to stillness, all of her thoughts abruptly stopping. Her eyes, locked onto the white light of the room, blurred their vision until all she saw was a canvas of white, like snow blindness, but instead of a searing coldness, the heat of psychic energy transferring between the two women burned hotly in her mind's eye. A distant memory echoed in her thoughts…

::Bright::
::So bright…::

Her body was still, completely numb, with only the slight pressure from Album's hand fading into a flimsy memory as she felt, almost mentally watched, Niveum categorize, organize, and shuffle through her mind, unwinding the threads of the lies the K'Tar had woven, separating Karnal Sin from the false persona.

Images and memories of the last six years began to move away from her as she began to no longer share her consciousness. An emptiness was forming in the crevices of her mind, some of the bonds of her personal interactions and recent battles losing their edge in the process.

Without breaking a sweat, Niveum skillfully traversed the tapestry that was Karnal Sin’s psyche, her hands deftly untwisting and re-anchoring the necessary threads of consciousness in the blonde woman. Everything was going smoothly until she encountered a unique thread – a dim, golden glow making it stand out from the rest of them. She reached a tentative hand out to it only for a bright shockwave pulse from it with a deep, resonating psychic sound reminiscent of a howl.

::What the hell is that?::

Furrowing her brow slightly, Niveum clenched her jaw and grabbed a hold of some other memorial elements in Karnal’s consciousness before reattempting contact with the thread which had now begun to eerily glow in the maze-like abyss of Karnal’s consciousness.

She was rebuffed yet again, this time more forcefully, causing her physical body to lurch backwards as the psychic wave ventured outside of both of the women’s minds. Album took a step away from them, “Judge, is there an issue?”

::No, just give us a moment::

Niveum got as close as she could to the thread, examining it through the now blinding brightness of its defenses. The thread was thick, strong, and taut like a strained tendon – on both of its ends it was attached to a multitude of other lines knotted haphazardly in a mess.

::Maybe if we detach those first…::

Moving her mind to the lower end of the thread in question, her mental projection of her body floated through Karnal Sin’s consciousness like a sinking rock. She landed in front of a rather rambunctious knotting and reached a cautious hand out towards it.

No amount of bracing could have saved her from the onslaught of a power and force that ripped through her, knocking her violently despite her grip on the threads of Karnal’s mind.

::Get out::

The voice was neither that of Karnal nor her own and she opened her mind’s eye in a frantic and defensive search of who had joined them. As she saw the path in which she had created in her efforts of organizing the Vixen’s mind, she saw the neatly categorized and straightened threads slam into each other once again, binding and twisting around one another, knotting and winding like they had volition of their own.

She suddenly heard a heartbeat – it was not her own – and looked up at the golden thread to see it pulsing with each thump. A hushed howl, not that of an animal but a human, grew in intensity and she stood, defenseless in the abyss – terrified. Whispers of broken phrases taunted her from the shadows of Karnal’s mind, “happened before….cannot…nothing changes…” she was attacked by such a massive wave of psychic energy that her body screamed, her hands flying to her temples while was painfully knocked out Karnal Sin’s mind, her corporeal form being flung quickly back away from the operating table and into the nearby wall.

Blinking, Karnal Sin turned her head towards Niveum, “What happened?”

The Judge stood, dusting herself off. Breaking Judex protocol, she ripped off her mask and looked Karnal in the eyes, barking at her, “You tell me!” As far as Niveum was concerned, she had not signed up for this, and whatever it was that she had encountered in the dark crevices of the recruit’s mind scared the hell out of her.

Karnal narrowed both of her eyes, lifting her upper body so that she was seated, her head hanging a bit, speaking through her teeth as her irritation was now fully blossomed, “You said you could help me.”

Album had since walked to Niveum, lifting her off the ground onto her feet, “What’s the problem, Judge?”

Niveum looked up at him, her hair flying against her quick movements, “She has something IN there that we were not given any information on. And it is powerful.” She shot an accusatory look at Karnal, her mind awash with fragmented thoughts, memories, and images that did not belong to her.

Judge Album straightened, nodding to Niveum for her to regain her composure, then slowly approached the patient, “Why don’t you start from the beginning, Sin?”

Sighing, Karnal shook her head even though she began to tell them what she knew – information that no one had been privy to in full – only snippets ever making it to any sense of public knowledge.

“As I am sure you aware, you are the not the first to think they could help me – and neither were the K’Tar. Before my husband ever got involved in trying to ‘fix’ me there were a bevy of others…”

Chapter 1: The Choice
Dark Dominion Stronghold – June 2006

“Kathryn.”

“Yes, sir?” With her head lowered, her eyes burned holes into the ground. Any attempt Kathryn had at keeping her composure was quickly losing to her nerves. Her knees, unpadded, ached against the cold and rocky surface that was the initiation circle on the Dominion Stronghold on Earth Prime.

The Gauntlet, a large hallway leading to the throne room, was truly massive – the stone arches loomed, in a crescendo casting blackened shadows that flickered in unison with the firelight that emanated from the walls. It was designed to make whoever was coming down the hall feel progressively smaller. It was working.

A large, black-clad hand extended, a single finger tucking under her chin, lifting her face, forcing her gaze onto the man known as Overseer to many, Quinn to her. So much had changed since her assignment to Prime Earth.

The Dominion, also called The Dark Dominion by Hero Corps, was an inter-dimensional organization spanning hundreds of “planets” – all different realities of Earth. Kathryn’s home, Theta-Seven, had been taken over by the Dominion years ago and in Overseer’s conquest of her planet he had plucked her from the masses with the single-minded agenda of turning her into a weapon. While not the strongest, the smartest, or even the most skilled, Kathryn had created a special niche for herself in the ranks – with the inception of the Vixen Branch, designed for gathering intelligence and compromising security in their targets.

The Dominion’s agenda itself was somewhat noble – they purged the different realities, forcefully when necessary, of the sicknesses and undesirable elements: crime, poverty, illness, immoral vexes, ethical ambiguity. Each planet was allowed autonomy after the purge, but they swore oaths of faith to the Dominion and to Overseer. It was an absolution of each realm, and after, the Dominion would transform the planet into an oasis free of conflict, establish a calm harmony, and vastly improve the lives of their subjects.

When Overseer set his sights on Prime Earth, he knew he was in for a long and complicated struggle – so he brought his, at the time, single Consul, Neutron One with him to assist in breaking down the intricate threads of supers located en masse in this reality. He also called in Kathryn from assignment and tasked her with blurring the lines with her Vixens – he wanted her to foster psychological warfare. He wasn’t expecting his most loyal and trained, now called Karnal Sin by heroes and villains alike, to have stumbled so badly, forcing him to call together the ranks located on Prime Earth for an audience.

Keeping her lashes lowered, and her eyes unfocused away from him, she cursed to herself when he commanded her, “Look at me.”

She did as she was told.

“Have you forgotten your task so soon?” the voice held both authority and purpose and Kathryn looked away. Overseer’s words were always chosen and groomed before spoken and while she had grown accustomed to it; his usual affectionate trappings were removed.

She knew it was intentional. She knew that he was, in his own personal way, punishing her for her mistake. It wasn’t a mistake that compromised their agenda, but it was a mistake that affected him – the both of them.

“No, sir,” Kathryn offered meekly.

“He seems so predictable. I’m surprised this became an issue for you, Vixen,” he paused for just a moment, “Predictability? Is that what you want?”

“No.” All the eyes of the Dominion were locked onto her form, though many of the Vixens kept their gaze on Overseer, vying for his attention and approval since Kathryn’s fall from grace.

“Dear, I need more than single word answers,” he said with a sneer in his voice – mockingly expelling the affectionate term.

“You’ll have to choose, you know,” the sneer was gone, replaced by a casualness that unnerved her, as he leaned back onto his throne with his legs spread apart, knees bent, in a wide, comfortable position. The oversized seat was befitting of a man of his status as a ruler of many dimensions, allowing him to relax back into it as he awaited her response.

Kathryn knew she was going to have to choose, and she knew that either choice came with its own set of consequences, “Yes.” The pressure was getting to her and she hadn’t worked through her own thoughts to be able to answer him any further.

Machina Shard stood from his seat to the right of Overseer, an emotionless expression on his perpetually war-painted face. He was an overbearing individual who had earned his status within the Dominion by brute force – he was Overseer’s right hand man, one of his Consuls, and his personal bodyguard. His boots were heavy against the floor, and in the silence following her answer it was all anyone could hear as he sauntered in his full Dominion regalia to the kneeling ex-Consort. He looked down his nose at her, his heavy cape creating a cast shadow that covered her tiny frame, “What’s it going to be, Kathryn?”

And while she didn’t want to admit it to herself, she already knew the answer to their question.

Chapter 2: The Malfunction
July 2006
:: Dark…::

::So dark…::

“Kathryn…”

She blinked her eyes open, hearing a gentle voice coming from the shadows.

“Kathryn…”

“Are you okay?”

She couldn’t move, she just fell – faster, deeper, into the brightness.

::Bright…::

::So bright…::

Port Oakes, Arachnos Hospital

“How long has she been in this condition?” A brunette, white-coated man stood at the foot of the bed where Kathryn was resting. Her eyes were closed, peacefully, her mouth a thin line as a slow, methodical, but purposeful breath was entering and exiting her body.

“She was brought in three hours ago, doctor.”

Dr. Yulis nodded slowly, looking over the patient’s chart, “Metahuman, definitely. Who brought her in?”

“She was found in front of the E.R. entrance,” the nurse’s voice was submissive and quiet, knowing to answer just what she was asked lest she receive a hearty reprimand from the physician.

He grunted at that, half expecting that answer, “Alright, run the usuals, I’ll come back after lunch and look it over.”

“Understood,” the nurse turned on her heel quickly and began the testing procedures in a vain attempt at finding out what was wrong with the Jane Doe patient. Metas were always the worst and the hardest to figure out what was wrong with them – she was thankful that this one was unconscious.



“What’s wrong with her?!” Yulis had just taken a bite of his lunch when he was paged, forcing him to rush back to the E.R. to see what was causing such a ruckus. Reaching forward he placed both of his hands on either of Kathryn’s shoulders, pushing her back down on the hospital bed.

“AUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“I don’t know! She just started screaming!” The nurse was desperately putting her weight against the woman’s, trying to hold her still, scrambling for the bindings attached to the bed that she hadn’t thought was necessary before.

Kathryn thrashed violently, clutching her head, her face contorted into a painful sneer, “AAAAHHHHHHH! STOP IT! STOP!”

The nurse looked at the doctor in bewilderment.

“Did you try th-” he started.

“YES!” The nurse nearly barked at him, all sense of professional decorum gone, “NO EFFECT!”

Gripping her firmly, he started to shake the patient, “LADY! CALM DOWN!”

“STOP IT!” Kathryn cried out once more.

“Doctor! I don’t even think she’s awake!”

He matched the nurse’s look this time.


::I just want to go home::

::And where is home?::

::With him::

::It won’t change anything::

::I know::




“STOP IT! PLEASE!”

Yulis shook his head, tightening the last restraints on the bed.

Kathryn’s eyes were still clenched shut, her golden hair whipping around with each turn of her head as she battled both the bed and whatever was going on inside of her.

“Let’s move her down to the psychiatric wing, Donna.”

The nurse nodded her head quickly, moving to take the strolling hospital bed towards the doorway of the room.

“I’ll see if I can’t call someone in to check her out. Not sure if any Seer is going to want to take a look inside of there, though.”

“PLEASE STOP!” Kathryn began to cry.

Nurse Donna smirked, “I wouldn’t…” she looked irritated at the woman’s cries of help, “Can we do anything to shut her up at least?”

He shook his head again, “Not really, save we risk the chance of her choking on her tongue.”

Grunting, the nurse wheeled the patient out, the woman’s sobbing and screaming bouncing off the plain walls, traveling rapidly down the empty halls.




::Are you sure you can do this?::

:: Do I have a choice?::

::No::



Kathryn shot off the bed, breaking the restraints that the nurse had finally managed to get on her. Flying down the hallway in nothing but a flimsy hospital gown, she knocked everything down in her path. She crashed into cabinets, doors, carts, clutching her head with her eyes shut – she’d fly through a wall if it would just stop.

“SECURITY!”

She didn’t know where she was going. All she knew was she wanted to be someplace safe. She ripped around a corner, upon seeing a window, she charged more energy behind her, bolted towards the metal frame, knowing it would hurt, but not particularly caring.

Chapter 3: The Minds
Pocket D – July 2006

Chimera II, a dark-haired, one-eyed praetorian assassin, had joined the ranks of the Dominion after his group had been absorbed by his now-girlfriend’s organization. He and Kathryn had been dating for a weeks now, and while he knew she was involved with the hero Xanatos, he somehow let her convince him it was purely for work. It was often that he ran into her at the Pocket D when they didn’t have formal plans together – it usually ended up in some heated argument over him being cryptic about himself and her being overly flirtatious – their relationship was full of conflict.

But tonight, instead of the usual seductive drawl she would casually throw his way, he was met with something else entirely. He turned towards Noctis Phasma, a psychic villainess he knew only vaguely, “There’s something wrong with her mind. Go in there and find out what the trouble is, but if you screw anything up, I’ll end you.”

Chimera’s face was serious and worried, but Phasma just smirked and assured him she’d be careful. Somehow it didn’t calm him down. He’d been through a lot during his short lifetime, but he couldn’t remember anything more surreal than encountering a younger version of Karnal Sin. Kathryn had told him about her past, but she’d always been closed off about it. There was something awe-inspiring about actually meeting her past self. ‘If it weren’t the symptom of a shattered mind, this might even be exciting,’ Chimera thought scornfully.

::Talk to her:: Phasma’s voice rang in his mind. ::Keep her distracted::

“So, uh,” Chimera began awkwardly, dozens of intimate questions plagued him, questions about who she was, questions that might shed more light on the woman she’d grown into. “Where do you work?”

“TGI Friday’s,” Katie said simply, “I wash dishes.”

Chimera nodded slowly, feeling as awkward as ever, “I see…and how old are you?” he asked dubiously.

“Fourteen,” Katie responded matter-of-factly, pressing herself against the railing, “How old are you?”

Instinctually, Kathryn had fled to the Pocket D after shattering through the Arachnos hospital – to her it was a safe haven. But right now, she didn’t know where she was, and the safe haven of the familiar faces was a sea full of strangers. She was not herself.

“Twenty.” He smirked, but the look of concern in his eye unnerved her.

Chimera felt ungodly uncomfortable, he tried to give her a reassuring smile, only to have it come out twisted.

::You cannot help her::

A genderless voice spoke to Chimera in his mind. Relatively used to communicating with Kathryn telepathically, he responded in kind.

::I can try.::

He saw Phasma get closer to the distracted ex-Consort and watched as the psychic reached a tentative hand out to her.

“So what kind of name’s-AHHHHHHH!” Katie collapsed to the floor, clutching her head, her mouth opened in a mock cry, but after the initial outburst, no sound escaped her lips.

Chimera rushed forward, kneeling down and wrapped his arms around her, holding her up, “Kathryn!” He shot a fiery look up at Phasma. With his hand cradling Karnal’s face on the side, he spat harshly at the psychic, “What the hell did you do?!”

But Phasma was already in a trance.

Kathryn’s body began to jerk and spasm on the ground, her eyes rolling randomly in all directions. She suddenly stopped her movements, whispering to him, “Not again.”

::You cannot help her::

The same genderless voice spoke, but this time to Phasma.

::Why?::

::Because it has already happened::

::What?::

Noctis Phasma was inside of Kathryn’s mind, frantically trying to navigate the maze of thoughts and misdirection. She started to sweat a little, as the woman’s mind worked against her, putting up mental barriers, and more walls. Something was blocking her and whatever it or they were, it was powerful.

Stepping into the mind of this woman, Phasma was taken aback. This was something she had never seen before. This place was a black abyss. Far below her, Phasma could see a 14-year-old girl. The girl was holding onto two strings, one in each hand. They rose up, up far above Phasma, where each was wrapped around the ankle of a woman. The two women were joined at the hip, like Siamese twins. They spoke to Phasma as one, their voice an eerie cacophony, but the voice was not theirs, "You cannot help her."

Phasma could not pull the two women apart without killing them both. When she tried to pull the strings out of the little girl's hands, all three entities faded, and forced her to quickly restore them. She tried reasoning with the women, but they would not hear it. Her trance was broken and the abyss of the mind gave way to the lights and noise of the Pocket D.

Phasma looked at Chimera, who looked back expectantly. She shook her head, this was not so simple.

The blonde began to mumble while in Chimera’s hold, “Quinn,” she said, “Xanatos?”

“Kathryn…?” Chimera’s voice came out quietly, desperately, “Kathryn, it’s me, Chimera.” He saw what looked like a glint of recognition in her eyes.

“Chimera…”

Katie shifted in her daze, rising off the floor of the club to her feet, unsteadily. Her lashes fluttered, looking around awkwardly, not fully aware of what was going inside of her mind, “Uh…is…there…a bathroom around here?”

Chimera had worry stricken all over his face, but pointed to the far end of the main dance floor, “Down there.”

Katie nodded, “Thanks, mister.”

A few minutes passed by, the silence thickening around Chimera and Phasma, “I’m going to go check on her,” he said gruffly, turning on his heel and stalking towards the double doors of the restrooms.

“AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! ” Katie burst out of the bathroom doors, her eyes wide with horror, screaming.

Chimera jumped back, startled for a moment, but quickly regained his place again, “What’s wrong?”

Her hands were clutched to her chest, cupping her buxom breasts, “What did you do to me?!”

Chimera winced, “Uhh…puberty?”

Her hands flew to her backside, grabbing her rear, her face awash with bewilderment.

All the commotion and yelling was starting to form a crowd around the three – some familiar faces like Fearghas, Rakescar, Yuvie, and others.

Phasma quickly joined the couple, taking another opportunity to peer into the woman’s thoughts.

Kathryn’s body burst into a brilliant raging shield of energy, swirling around her entire form, the eerie red glow spiking off in several directions as she lost control.

“Get out of my MIND!” She snarled at Phasma.

“No, I’m going to fix you.” The telepath set her jaw stubbornly.

Rakescar, Fearghas, Phasma, Yuvie, Chimera and a few others crowded her, backing her farther into the railing. The faint sound of a man throwing up dwarfed at the deafening shot of energy emanating from her.

Her eyes opened, staring at the telepath, unblinking, the blinding light of energy peering into her threateningly, “You’ll ruin everything.”

She had gone through several manifestations of herself, but the red took control. Not the Kathryn that everyone knew, the socialite that got along with nearly everyone, the woman who would seamlessly move in and out of groups of people, skillfully talking everyone up.

No. Karnal Sin took over - muting out Kathryn, Katie, and Kat.

Bracing her leg, she shot over them, leaping her body over the sea of people trying to ‘help’ her.

“Katie, stop this!” Rakescar’s voice boomed at her as she exited the club, Chimera close behind him.

Kathryn stopped to address her friend, the golem rockstar she had helped only weeks before, “Mmmm, feels good to let go sometimes doesn’t it, Tyler?”

He reached for her, but she was already in the air, not looking back. And then she was gone.

Chimera stood with the others in silence, trying to focus and digest everything that had just transpired.

‘This is not my area of expertise,’ Chimera thought, feeling a slight hint of panic welling in his stomach. It was true; he knew nothing of this world of telepathy and possession. He longed to do something to make things right, but he knew he was out of his league – a sword couldn’t fix this.

‘Out of my league,’ he thought, silently cursing the entire concept of telepathy.

Chapter 4: The Gathering
Dominion Stronghold - July 2006

Karnal Sin was once again kneeling in silence in The Gauntlet of the Dominion Stronghold, her eyes gently closed with the light from the Initiation Circle flaring up on occasion, casting shadows sporadically around the empty Throne Room.

It had been weeks since Overseer had left to an undisclosed location without either of his Consuls, leaving Machina Shard in command of the legions on Prime Earth. With Karnal’s public breakdown, whispers had been circulating amongst the supers as to the reason and Machina was having none of it, wanting only to get to the bottom of the mishap. He was sick of Kathryn’s procrastination and didn’t fully believe the rumors he had been hearing. He called together the ranks.

All she heard were heavy footsteps on the cold, hardened floor of The Gauntlet, a multitude of them – her training kicked in and she was able to discern the distinctness of sixteen people.

Machina Shard led the group – Fearghas, Chimera II, Kichi, Reiraku, Chronicler, Yuvie, Neutron One, Exotic Faith, Imperial Reign, Erotica, Atrox, Seven, Flea Mark Evil, Fey Deux, and Captain X. Gathering around Kathryn in a circle, Machina was first to break the silence.

“Kathryn, I’ve been hearing some disturbing rumors of you making a spectacle of yourself.”

The woman in question looked up at him, “I…I…” she couldn’t possibly come up with a reason that would sate his irritation and explain as she had no idea what was going on with herself.

Chimera stepped forward, “Sir, if I may…” his voice was firm but tentative. Machina wasn’t Overseer, but in his absence he was to treat the man as he would their leader, “With no psychic currently in the ranks of the Dominion on Prime Earth, Fearghas and I have employed the help of an outside source in an attempt to stabilize her.”

“I can see your efforts are not producing results, Chimera.”

The assassin narrowed his one good eye, continuing, “We’ve had but one opportunity…”

“I do hope you weren’t tampering with my toys,” Neutron’s digitized voice was perky and highly inappropriate, as was his manner, “Perhaps as the resident scientist, I’d have better luck.”

Chimera attempted to keep his cool and patience, “This isn’t a scientific problem.”

“What you may call magic, I call science. Come!” Neutron stalked out of the room with pep in his step.

Machina looked to the legions, “Atrox, Faith – until further notice, you two are to stay with her and make sure she does NOT leave the Stronghold, is that understood?”

Stepping forward at the call of their names, the two responded in unison, “Affirmative, sir.”

“In the meantime, Neutron, Chronicler and I will be going through the Dominion database to see if we can’t fix your little problem – yet again.” He sneered at her momentarily before nodding to the rest to exit with him.

Kathryn was given her orders and hung her head, demoralized into submission. She knew that the Dominion was capable, but it didn’t change the fact that she felt she was slowly rotting away from the inside.

Days would pass and she still hadn’t heard anything from the Consuls or Chronicler in their efforts and she began to question whether or not they were even really working on finding a solution or simply waiting for Overseer’s return – whenever that would be.

The days wore on and her mind began to feel like it was unraveling, and the voices in her head were all but driving her into further madness.

She was thankful when her thoughts were interrupted as Exotic Faith knocked on her door, “Kathryn? I have your dinner.”

The blonde stood up, unsteadily, “Have you heard anything, Faith?”

“No,” The vixen smirked at her former leader.

The ex-Consort looked like a broken woman, the worry written all over her face. Faith put a hand on her shoulder in an act of faux comfort, “Trust me, when I hear something, you’ll be the first to know…Mistress.”

Kathryn stood tall quickly, grabbing Faith’s arm and flipping her over her shoulder, the plate of food shattering on the floor as she loomed over her defenseless comrade, her steel heeled boot on the dark-haired woman’s throat, “Do not mock me, child.”

Exotic Faith looked up at her with bewildered eyes, the change in her demeanor jarring and frightening as the eyes of the ‘prisoner’ glowed unstably with energy, a sick smile on her face.

“I will not wait around for them to eliminate me.”

Faith tried to yell at her partner, “A..atro-,” but was unable to, due to the weight of the boot on her throat. She tried to watch, in vain, as Karnal leaned down and snatched her Dominion teleporter off her belt, punched in coordinates and in an instant teleported out of the Stronghold.

“ATROX!”

Chapter 5: The Reason
Pocket D - July 20006

Karnal Sin appeared suddenly at the Paragonian side of the bar in Pocket D, momentarily blinding some of the patrons there, inadvertently knocking into the bartender.

Wincing, her eyes fluttered for a moment before the voice of the child returned, “Oh god, not here again…” Frantically, Katie turned to the bartender, “Lady, I need to get home to King’s Row. How do I get out of here?”

The justifiably confused barkeep pointed down the stairs, “There’s an elevator down there…but…” without waiting for further explanation, Katie raced down the corridor.

“Heroes only.” The guard at the door didn’t even look at her.

“Listen mister! I need to get home! Let me through!” Katie struggled against the guard posted at the Pocket D’s Paragon side entrance. With his one arm wrapped around her waist, he barked the words, “Heroes only!” and, “No villains past this point!”

A man in a white top and black slacks approached them then, casually, “Is there a problem here?” His eyes passed over her as if he recognized the girl, but he didn’t say anything of it.

“Yes!” She immediately answered, flinging off the guard and taking a step back from the doors, “This ‘guard’ won’t let me go home!” She nearly whined with that, crossing her arms and glaring.

It wasn’t until this moment that she realized the man who was now talking to her was blue. And that he had two females with him at the time. The second of those facts bothered her to some degree she didn’t quite understand.

The blue man regarded her briefly before motioning to the bartender who had since followed her down, “Take her back upstairs, I will be along shortly.”

“What? No! I want to go home. Who are you?” Katie glared at the well-over-six-feet-tall blue man.

“Xanatos,” he said simply as the bartender now ushered her upstairs with frantic hand motions.

Completely confused, Katie shot an icy glare at the guard once more before doing as she was told and sulked back upstairs.

“Let me get you a drink, little one…”

“My name’s Katie.” The young-minded girl plopped onto a barstool, crossing her arms defensively.

The woman smiled at her sweetly, “I’m Regina, or Fallen Rose, what do you want to drink, hun?”

Pursing her lips, she mumbled, “Chocolate milk.” Her mind wandering as she peered around the room, Regina busy, making her drink.

“Who is Xanatos, Ms. Regina?” Katie sucked on the straw of her drink hard, the chocolate milk traveling up the plastic and into her mouth quickly.

Fallen Rose started to speak, but paused for a moment, “He’s a man who is trying to help us all.”

This kind of statement was far too vague for Katie to really wrap her mind around, she shrugged it off, leaning on the bar.

Of all the people around her, Regina was the only one who hadn’t known her name, or assumed to know her. She felt comfortable around the somewhat lady-like bartender, being that she met her as ‘herself’.

“Red wine…” a voice came from behind Katie’s left shoulder.

Without looking up, Regina grabbed a bottle of wine, adeptly pouring the liquid into a glass. She looked up and began to hand it to the customer, “Here you g-…” but she stopped herself, staring at the man before her.

Katie, idly took a sip of her chocolate milk, looked behind her, and then up. If the blue man had startled her, the red man scared her.

Some people began whispering, “Emperor Xanatos,” around him. She felt like she knew him, but couldn’t quite put a finger to it.

He claimed to her know her father, said he was a hero and he was there to help her. Some others felt otherwise. Several people had gathered around Katie, one in particular, a short statured brunette called Luficia.

“Get out of here, now, Katie!” Luficia glared furiously at the red man, though Katie didn’t know why.

“Uhhh, I need to uhh, go to…the bathroom!” Katie exclaimed.

One of the many people around her, leaned over, whispering to the ‘young girl’, “I’ll escort you.”

Katie had no idea what was going on, but she did as she was told, looking to Regina for guidance. The bartender nodded at her reassuringly, and with that, Katie, and her escort, took down past the ramp.

“Run.”

She stopped, looking around, “Wha?”

“RUN!”

Her escort began to sprint across the club, motioning for Katie to follow suit. She had no idea why she was running, or where she was running, but the escort was leading her around corners, through the sea of dancing people.

“Oomph!”

The door to the restroom was slammed behind her, and she was alone.

What was transpiring at the bar was a slew of threats from both sides – the people who were defensively around Katie and ushering her away from Emperor Xanatos kept their verbal onslaught peaked. The praetorian was nothing but calm and collected, swirling his red wine in his glass, sipping periodically between insults.

Twenty minutes passed as Katie stayed in the bathroom alone until finally Regina knocked, “Hey you can come out now. I think he’s too busy to bother...”

“What happened? Who are those people?” Katie hopped off the vanity in the restroom and carefully walked towards the door.

“Bad people. Look, you need to get out of here, if he-…”

As if on cue, he appeared directly outside of the restrooms.

“Kat! You need to hurry up! They are trying to kill me!” Emperor Xanatos exclaimed at her suddenly.

Luficia, Regina, and company surrounded him, their eyes narrowed, their stances firm.

“Stay away from her,” Luficia nearly hissed out.

He reached for Katie, grabbing her bare arm, “Come on!”

Katie tensed at his touch.

“We haven't much time...I can explain everything later...they are trying to kill us both,” Emperor Xanatos and company continued on, as if still speaking to the child.

Karnal gained her footing, looking around idly before resting her gaze upon the hulking red figure.

Luficia pressed on, “You must trust me! He is a bad man!”

None of them noticed. Yet.

“Please, Katie!”

"Emperor…" the title rolled of her tongue in a sultry fashion, nearly moaning his moniker. And while the others didn’t catch the change, he most certainly did.

“Miss Sin, a pleasure as always,” a smile inched its way across his mouth.

Karnal Sin smiled deviously in return, "Mmmm, no darling, the pleasure is mine."

He relaxed a bit, obviously feeling a little more at ease with the villainess in her own mind, “I must say I'm disappointed...hiding behind the heroes you cut down in Recluse's Victory.”

Luficia rested a hand on Seiken's hilt, the heroes around them ready for anything.

Karnal bowed in deference to Emperor Xanatos, “Why don’t we continue our discussion elsewhere,” he said to the kneeling blonde, “You lead, I’ll follow.”

And with that the two villains walked calmly away from the battle-ready heroes, leaving them confused and staring at each other dumbfounded.




Emperor Xanatos grabbed her throat, her eyes fluttering back, like the shutters of a camera, spasming, her body jerking on the bed.

“No, please, don’t!”

Karnal Sin had taken them to her apartment, as it was the only private place she could think of that wasn’t in the Dominion Stronghold. She had wanted to converse with the Emperor about her predicament in length as she had gotten a better idea of what was going on and wanted his help. She didn’t want the other consciousness she shared to catch on, so time was of the essence.

But as soon as they made it to the foyer of her apartment, Emperor Xanatos, knowing of her familiarity with his Prime Earth double Xanatos, and seeing an opportunity to torment him more, had other ideas. He had grabbed her throat, Star of America coming to the forefront, begging him to release her as he dragged her across the apartment and slammed her onto the bed.

He hesitated, gripping her throat tighter, choking her, and not allowing her to speak, nor breathe as he stood by the bed. “I won’t…just know I could have.”

He let her go as soon as the relief hit her, letting her relax for a moment, “Bring Karnal back,” he commanded her.

“I don’t know how.”

He growled, his patience running thin, lunging at her throat a second time with his hand, gripping her tighter than before.

A smirk came across her face, though she couldn’t breathe or speak; the woman had changed, and she seemed to be enjoying the situation.

:: Decided to join me then?::

He understood now; understood the change. Or at least how it worked. And with that in mind, decided it had been a while since he had some form of fun and release.

::Emperor?::

Karnal lifted a single brow at him, still not able to breathe, but completely at ease.

Oh yes. It had been a while.




She grinned at her comrades.

“Kathryn?”

Chimera, Machina Shard, and Fearghas all exchanged worried looks. “Katie?”

The grin widened, and she nodded pleasantly to them, “Karnal.”

“You know what's going on, right?” Chimera immediately began to question her.

“Of course I know what's going on, Chimera” his name rolled off her tongue languidly.

He looked a little relieved. "Good."

“We're stuck in here.” She stated matter-of-factly.

Chimera quickly followed her on that, “So, how do we get you unstuck?”

Her grin faded for a second, “I don’t want to get unstuck, pet.”

“Why?” They all asked in unison.

She smirked at them, “Because there is something He needs me to do.”

Chapter 6: The Revelation
Dominion Stronghold

“What the hell is that?” Karnal pointed at the computer screen with her gloved finger, standing a distance from the medical machinery and Machina Shard.

She held the teleporter in hand, ready to jump if her comrades tried to bury her back inside of her host body.

The Dominion had deduced the pattern to her behavior. Physical contact was the catalyst, touching her would change her. Something was definitely not right with the pattern though, it had started as cyclical, but as they pressed on in their testing, Karnal Sin was showing up more and more frequently.

“I don’t know…” Machina stared at the computer screen in confusion with her. “I don’t know what any of this means…”

“Simpletons! Do not worry yourselves with the details. Nothing is broken!” Neutron One proudly exclaimed from the other side of the scanning equipment.

Chimera sighed, “Sir, no offense, but how can NOTHING be broken? This isn’t normal.”

The armored man was gruff in response, “Well, I don’t know what’s going on with her, but as said, my toys are not broken.”

The entire room groaned in unified frustration.




There was some party going on at the Giza and despite the Dominion’s wishes, Karnal had decided to go. A sea of people gathered celebrating something or another and she deftly dodged them before making her landing at the edges of the crowd. She grinned at Chimera as she passed by him, spotting Machina Shard at the party.

She glided her body over to him, landing on the stone ground with a click of her heels, “Machina, didn’t expect to see you here.”

He looked at her warily, "I didn’t expect to see you here either, Karnal…"

And before she could respond, fate got in the way.

“Karnal...”

The voice was eerie, unearthly, and tantalizing; she turned around, face to face with Ghost Widow.

Karnal immediately bowed her head, curtsying low to the ground, “Madame.”

The ethereal woman nodded to her, signaling her to rise, “I didn't expect to see you here...”

Karnal rose to her feet, sensing the silence that was spreading, focusing on them, flashing her a grin, “I heard there was a party…I had to at least stop by to see what the commotion was about…”

The pale woman didn’t answer, simply looked at her, as if peering into her, though Karnal’s eyes were averted. She knew to act with deference, “I am genuinely surprised to see you here, my Lady.”

“Indeed...”

If ever there was an opportunity for her, this was it, “Madame...might I ask you a...delicate question?”

“I suppose…”

“I was wondering if you could grant me an audience with you in the future...”

She kept her head tilted down at an angle, listening intently.

“You may find me in the Tower…” It was always difficult to tell if Ghost Widow was finished with her statement, her words, much like Karnal’s, tended to trail off into silence, as if promising something more.

"And I can seek your guidance then, Lady?" smiling sweetly, though her eyes seemed calculating, staring at the ground before Ghost Widow’s feet.

“Unless there is something you wish to ask now.”

She smiled to herself internally, though her face was well trained and emotionless, “Well…” Karnal began, “Nothing that could necessarily be spoken in such a public forum, you understand.”

That got her attention, and Ghost Widow tilted her head, her lips forming the words, the air taking them, “I see…”

Karnal steered her words to the lady’s leisure, “I am at your disposal, should you have the time, that is,” lowering herself lower to the ground in a bow.

“Very well...”

Before she knew what was going on, Arachnos’ highest ranking female flew into the air, her waist cape billowing in the wind, that same wind seemingly enveloping her into nothing.

Karnal Sin stood there in silence, unsure of what just happened. And then she was gone as well.

“We are alone...”

Karnal Sin was not entirely sure of all of the woman’s powers, but she did contain some form of teleportation, as so evident by her ripping Karnal from her location down on the promenade and bringing her to second tier floor of the Giza. It was decisively less painful than dimensional teleportation.

“Thank you, my Lady...”

Karnal immediately dropped to one of her knees, ensuring no eye contact, though she could feel the Lady’s eyes on her.

She knew Ghost Widow’s time was limited, she would have to act quickly, “It would seem that I have stumbled upon an out of body experience...”

“Indeed…” Ghost Widow teasingly let the word linger in the air, before adding, “Out of body…”

“I am...not myself, so to speak. You are the only person that I know of that has any experience with it,” she tried not to rush the words, a little thrilled at the fact that fate had been so kind to her.

“You have maintained your conscious-self whilst being....well...” Karnal trailed off into silence, not knowing exactly how to describe the Lady’s state of being.

“Yes... and no,” the Lady began, “…but the cost has been…high.”

Karnal furrowed her brows a bit, "Understandably, anything you could suggest to me would be greatly appreciated,” she hesitated before finishing her sentence, not knowing what it would entail, “and I would be forever in your debt.”

It was then that Karnal explained the vast majority of what had happened, as far as she was concerned – ending on her want of full control over the body she was housed in. Ghost Widow listened patiently, adding her opinion when needed, though even in her silence, Karnal could feel the woman’s thoughts, she could sense them.

“Being of two minds in one body is not something I would-...” her words stopped suddenly.

“…Have experience with, my Lady?” Karnal finished for her cautiously.

“Shut up, Purple!” Both of the women heard the hushed whisper from behind one of the walls of the balcony they stood on.

“I fear we may no longer be alone,” Ghost Widow did not want to be disturbed. She flew up, yet again disappearing into thin air and taking Karnal with her.

Alone again, Ghost Widow reached out and touched Karnal’s face lightly with her hand, her white, pupiless eyes glowing dimly.

Karnal had instinctually flinched from her – not wanting to switch to another persona – but the Lady’s touch had no such effect on her.

Moments passed slowly and Karnal idly listened to the quiet hum of the party below them – whatever the Lady was doing, she didn’t want to interrupt her.

Finally, Ghost Widow pulled away, “For what you are going through – Arachnos cannot help you.”

It wasn’t the response the Vixen wanted to hear, “May I ask why not, my Lady?”

“Because it has already happened...”

Karnal opened her mouth to question her further, but the Lady was not finished, “I would suggest you do not attempt to stop it either. It cannot be changed.”

“Enjoy your existence, Karnal Sin – it is better than my own...mine is not a state to aspire to.”




"Shut up, Purple!" Noctis Umbra spat out at the purple-clad mentalist who had just spoken to him and alerted Ghost Widow to his presence. He was not certain how the magenta punk had managed to see him, and he was not entertained by it. As the Widow and Karnal disappeared, Umbra cast an angry glare at the intruding man before slipping off to relocate the two (five?) women.

Nimbly he scaled the smooth brick surface of the Giza, muted voices beckoning to him from above. Reaching the outside of one of the pyramid's four small spires, he leaned back silently to listen to the conversation in progress behind him.

Noctis Umbra learned more as he listened in, more information not only about his patron the Ghost Widow, but also about the mysterious Karnal Sin. But he didn’t really understand anything that either of them said – he could hear them fine, but none of it seemed to make any sense. How could it have already happened? And what exactly was ‘it’?