The End of the Beginning

[Phoenix]

((leetle followup to last night's eventage! Not quite decided whether this will be fiction or plot or some terrifying hybrid of both yet, but I do it anyway, because I is weird. ))

Footsteps echo in the dank quiet, a black-clad figure pausing before a massive shelf and pulling down a well-worn book.

"So it begins... My part is done, and the actors have taken the bait. We will meet again, old friend..."

The book is set down, falling open to a richly-decorated page, an ornate gilded border surrounding a column of words...

The Red Wings spread over the City
The Truth reveals itself but is denied
Now the Great Enemy comes to light.

History will be laid bare
The roots of the past made clear
The blood of the innocent spilled.

As fear and horror grow in the Destined
A desperate Alliance will be forged in the dark.

The sword of the Master
The flame of the Phoenix
The heart of the Heroes.

All will play their part in the grand History.
And though it will not be the End of things
Nor even the Beginning of such an End

It will be remembered forever
as the End of the Beginning.

[Phoenix]

Chiron Medical Center
Galaxy City
January 9th 2008
9am

Opening one eye, Jane immediately regretted it, bright-white light lancing straight into her head and nearly blinding her. As her vision cleared, she realised that this was a ceiling she had seen before.

Aw hell, not again...

Carefully sitting up, ignoring a flare of pain from her stomach, she scanned the ward, finding it to be empty of nurses and, thankfully, doctors. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she gently lowered herself to the floor and rifled through the drawers at the side of the cot, pulling out her clothes and hurriedly dragging them on, tossing the hospital gown onto the floor under the bed.

Giving the room a final quick sweep with her eyes, she tucked the laces into her shoes and crept over towards the elevators. Finding one waiting, she spun into it and pressed the 'G' button.

As the box thumped to a halt, she peered around the edges of the thick doors as the slid open, finding the lobby similarly deserted, the receptionist leaning back in his chair and reading a paper, blocking most of his view of the room.

Jane grinned to herself and darted out into the space, ducking nimbly under the level of the desk and out the door, striding through the streets towards home.

At the desk, Doctor Richardson lowered the paper and smiled despite himself, shaking his head slowly before returning to his reading.

Phoenix is the right name for that one. Can't keep the little hellion down...

[Phoenix]

MAGI
Atlas Park
January 11th 2008
6:50pm

Heaving another heavy book down from the dusty shelves, Jane sighed heavily and set it down on the well-worn desk in the corner furthest from the library door.

Kicking the chair out from under the desk, she slumped into it and flipped the tome open, eyes running quickly down pages lined with symbols of mystical importance. None of them seemed familiar.

Damnit, I can feel I'm onto something here, but there's something missing. If I could just grab that one thing... it might get clearer. What the hell happened that night? I need to find that cavern again. But where was it...?

Flicking idly through more pages, she found nothing untoward, her attention mostly focused elsewhere.

What's the connection between the man in black Ves told me about and the man in white I saw yesterday? Are they on the same side, or different ones? What are they hiding? It could be the key to everything...

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by the sounds of the television in the next room leaking through the door, which she had left slightly open. Frowning slightly, she moved quietly across the room and slipped back out of the library, standing silently behind the intern at the desk and watching just as the camera cut to a female reporter standing outside an apartment building, somewhere in Founders Falls, by the look of it.

~~~~

"Not many details are clear yet, James, but the police have cordoned off the third floor and they're not letting any civilians enter or leave at this time.

A full forensic team has just arrived and entered the building-hold on-we're getting new information here. The officer in charge has just emerged from the building, apparently he has something to say."

The camera slid quickly to a weary-looking police detective, raising his hand for quiet and waiting until the barrage of questions had died down fully before he spoke.

"We can confirm that there has been a death in this building, and that we are treating it as suspicious. A full statement will be made later this evening. Thank you."

As the detective returned to the building, the camera turned back to the reporter.

"Well, there you have it. Another innocent citizen of Paragon has seemingly become the victim of the rampant crime that infests this city. And once again the Heroes are nowhere to be seen.

This is Janine Thompson, for PBC News."

As the image flipped back to the main newsroom, the newsreader took up the baton. "That was Janine Thompson, on the scene in Founders Falls. We'll bring you updates on that story as soon as we get them.

In other news..."

~~~~

Jane turned away from the TV and pulled her long coat off the hook near the desk, nodding a goodbye to the receptionist and wandering out into the streets.

A murder... not exactly unusual here, but the timing... something feels off about this. Maybe I should look into it.

[Phoenix]

Kat/Jane's apartment
Galaxy City
January 12th 2008
1:00pm

Deep in thought, Jane leant back into the thick padding of the chair, one finger idly flicking through TV channels as her mind raced, still trying to decipher recent events.

Why Oranbega again? Why there of all places? Are these men Circle? They weren't wearing the robes, I remember that much... wait, what was that?

Sitting up again, she flipped back a few channels, settling on a news broadcast, the same one she had inadvertently watched the day before, the same female reporter standing in front of another building, this one in Skyway by the look of it.

"...that's right, Tom. Two more murders, which we believe to have used similar, brutal methods to the incident just yesterday in Founders Falls. It appears that we may have a serial killer on the loose, and once again the Heroes are nowhere to be found!"

Frowning, Jane watched the screen flip back to the newsreader.

"Thanks again, Janine. Paragon Police have in fact just released a press briefing admitting that we may well be dealing with a serial homicide here, but it advises all citizens simply to remain calm."

The screen cut again, to a senior PPD Captain, standing behind a podium in front of a sea of reporters.

"We believe that these horrific incidents may well be connected. The Department advises that all citizens remain calm and vigilant. Lock your doors and windows, especially at night, and contact elderly or vulnerable friends and/or relatives to ensure their safety.

We sincerely urge anyone who might have seen anything suspicious between 2 and 5pm yesterday in Founders Falls or between 8am and 1pm today in Skyway City, to come forward to any Paragon City police station with that information. The person behind these killings must, and will, be stopped. Thank you."

Jane's attention was fixed not on the man, but on the large map hung over the wall behind him, the locations of the murders picked out with red crosses. Pulling out her own map, she swiftly unrolled it and laid it flat on the floor, copying down the locations from the TV...

...shit.

Recoiling in horror, she realised that they neatly matched with the ends of the bars making up the giant wing-symbol overlaying the city.

Her hand flicking to her ear, she tapped the button on her comm and spoke rapidly into it.

"351, alert all available Alliance members. We have a killer on the loose, and the attacks so far follow the pattern on the map. I believe whoever's doing this is tangled up in the whole mess as much as we are."

[Phoenix]

The following audio message will be broadcast to all involved FA members at 9pm and can be repeated on demand by requests to 351 after that time.

***Message Begins: Source: Luminous Phoenix***

*click*

Hey guys.

Seems to me that I have an apology to make. I led you all down a blind alley with this whole thing and put your lives at risk for nothing. I made the wrong decisions at the wrong time and failed all of you.

I've alerted the police to the pattern on the map and they're sending out officers to the appropriate locations, trying to stop whoever this killer is before they strike again.

As for me... well, think I might take some advice Cloe gave me last night and just go an' rest somewhere else for a bit, somewhere I don't have to think about all this crap.

Guess I'll see you when I see-

*a door opens in the background*

Kat?

*a deep male voice speaks*

"Not quite. One way or another, the line must end. I will see to that."

Who the hell are you?

"It matters not. I am merely an agent of the Truth."

*the noise of a blade being drawn can be heard before the sound dissolves into clattering, clashing noise and the signal cuts out*

***MESSAGE ENDS***

[Phoenix]

"Agent of the Truth, huh? And what does the Truth gain out of you attacking me?"

"That is not your business. Your part in this is merely to die."

Oh, fantastic. Cornered in foreign territory by some nut with two swords. Wait, what if he's the murderer I was trying to find?

"Let's see you try."

The figure loomed forward, attacking with inhuman speed, the tips of the blades catching her skin more and more often. Slumping to one knee, her own sword clattering to the ground, she struggled to look up at him.

The blades gleamed strangely in the gloom, and she felt her gaze drawn to them, even as they scythed through the air and violently pierced her chest. One was pulled back and swung again, whistling through the air, the cold metal touching her neck...

~~~~

Kat/Jane's apartment
Galaxy City
January 12th 2008
8:00pm

Crying out, Jane jolted upright, her eyes snapping open. Glancing quickly around, she realised where she was and relaxed slightly, lying back again. She was vaguely aware of Kat entering the room and looking down at her, softly touching her shoulder.

The room swam in front of her, every inch of her body protesting at the sudden movement. Something cold touched her, and for a moment she flinched away from it before realising what it was.

Above her, Kat examined the thermometer and spoke quietly. "You've got a hell of a fever there... I'll call Doc and have him come and take a look at you."

All she received in return was a small groan as Jane drifted back into sleep.

[Phoenix]

19th January 2008

As the strain of Jane's encounter with the mysterious Master begins to show, a meeting of the minds has resulted in a new theory. Alita Crane has suggested that the serial murders attributed to the Master are following a pattern of some genetic link to Jane herself, however distant.

351 has been crunching the data overnight and has produced a result, to be sent to all involved members.


Alita's theory on the pattern of the enemy's attacks seems to be correct. All four victims thus far follow both the wing pattern on the map and all four share at least one common ancestor with Jane.

What's more, others with that same genetic link seem to be situated perfectly within the confines of the wing-pattern. There is a possibility that this is a coincidence, but that outcome appears unlikely as the genetics theory would fit what little we know about this 'Master''s motives.

We have names, and we have locations. If we're right, all of these people are in danger. Now we need to decide exactly what to do with the information. 351 out.

[Phoenix]

((apologies to those involved for the length of time this bit ended up taking. kinda ran away from me and I didn't realise the time. sowwy. >.>))

22nd January 2008

The Master has dealt the Alliance another defeat, deceiving Veskit into ending the life of one of his targets for him, severely injuring Chlorr and moving another step closer to completing the grand pattern. Jane, stunned by the events that unfolded in the tower, has vanished into the depths of Perez Park, an uncontrollable White Dwarf hammering through the population of Hellions and Skulls, uprooting trees and ripping apart the Clockwork and the Thorns.

In the aftermath of the events, the tower was severely damaged and began to collapse, only to be abruptly stopped by the arrival of the man in black armour, who somehow reversed the collapse and reassembled the building before vanishing again.

Taking advantage of the discord, the Master removed a further two of his targets before leaving the city. The morning news is grim viewing.

"...that's right, Tom, three more inexplicable murders in the city last night, bringing the total attributed to this killer to seven. Whoever committed these crimes bypassed heavy police guard and took the innocent lives of his last two victims without causing a stir, apparently taking full advantage of the chaos he caused in Galaxy City in the middle of the night.

PPD now have an official suspect for the case, however, and are calling in FBI agents to assist in the hunt for this brutal murderer."

"Thank you, Jen. I have in fact just been handed an offical description by the PPD of the man they are seeking regarding these killings, and they have provided an image of the one they want."

The screen switches to a graphic, a slightly inaccurate drawing of the Master on the right and a list of statistics appearing on the left as the anchorman continues.

"The man's name and age are unknown at this time. He stands approximately seven feet two inches, and is of athletic build and Caucasian ethnicity.He has shoulder-length blond hair, wears a suit of white and gold medieval-style armour and is armed with at least two swords.

The PPD wishes to warn citizens that this man possesses superhuman strength, agility, and speed, and is not to be confronted by the public. Should you see this man, call the police immediately. Citizens are also advised to alert the nearest Hero should that be the better immediate course of action."

The anchorman reappears.

"In related news, the site of the first murder, the fifth in this brutal series, around 1am this morning, was the scene of an extraordinary act of heroism by an unidentified man, believed to have been acting in concert with notorious hero group the Fletched Alliance. John has more. Viewers are warned that this segment contains unsettling footage."

The screen changes again, a shaky video of the police around the apartment building commencing the footage, another voice taking up narration as the action is replayed, amateur footage from a tourist at the scene.

"It all began when the police barricaded the apartment building here in Galaxy City, believing that the murderer was within. Gunfire was heard at around 1am and almost continually thereafter as the police battled the mysterious killer. Soon after, the entire side of almost three floors was blown out by the killer, who made a spectacular exit, dropping from the eighth floor and vanishing through the surface of the street, evading two Heroines who valiantly attempted to stop him, one of them seriously injured in doing so."

The camera pans away from the building, hovering over the crumpled form of Chlorr and pausing for a moment as the medics rush to her aid.

"By this point, the police were well under way with an evacuation of the building, several elderly residents sustaining head injuries in the chaos. The tower was empty by the time it began to collapse. Let's look at that footage."

The building creaks and lists as the camera turns back to it, the eye of observation sweeping over policemen shouting for the crowd to get back. The upper windows shatter as the roof begins to fall, a wave of exploding glass rippling down the building, the dark figure of Shadowe lost in the dust. A loud bang echoes over the area and a black streak shoots across the sky, the building wrapped suddenly in brilliant flame and the collapse ceasing entirely, bricks floating, frozen in mid-fall.

"As you can see, the mysterious man actually appeared to stop time around the building, arresting the collapse with apparent ease. But that wasn't the end of it."

The video resumes, the camera focused now on the man in black, the red wings just visible on his chest as he raises his arms suddenly, the bricks and debris rising back into place in a firey torrent of flying masonry, the building restored to its pristine condition in less than a minute, the crowd cheering and whooping.

"The man then proceeded to reverse the collapse, re-assembling the building and saving countless lives in the process before vanishing without a word."

The anchorman reappears again. "Thank you, John. This station has been openly critical of Heroes in the past, but we recognise a good deed when we see it, and believe that we should all be thankful to this man, whoever he is, for saving so many lives with this selfless act. If you're out there, hero, God bless you."

The anchor turns to face the camera as it switches back to a head-on view, the screen behind his desk switching to an overhead view of Kings Row.

"After the break, Janine Thompson speaks to a few of the residents of the often-forgotten district of Kings Row, asking them what they think of the appalling lack of support that the area has recieved from the City in the wake of the Second Rikti War and the trials of everyday life in this run-down neighbourhood. Stay tuned, you're watching PBC News."

The anchor smiles for the camera and tidies his papers as the screen cuts to commercials.

[Shadowe]

{Galaxy City, 22 January 2008, Approx 1.35am}

With nary a backward glance, Richard hurled himself upward. Helena projected a stress map of the building on the inside of his suit goggles, and highlighted a place he could do the most good by trying to prevent the collapse.

He regretted taking Jane to the Shadow. He knew how stressful it was to see that realm of possible futures - he'd lost track of the number of times he'd seen his friends die, and it must have been a horrifying shock to her to go there without warning. The remembered sight of the hundreds of dead, the mangled bodies of Veskit, Viessa and Chlorr twisted his gut in knots. And it had been a waste, too. He had gained no insight from the other world he inhabited. It had been a desperate gamble, he knew, a fleeting hope that the horror he always witnessed while there would reveal the enemy's location in the real world.

"Damnit, Huntington, why didn't you wait until you'd dropped Jane off? Why did you have to do that to her? She doesn't need to see HELL!" The last word was punctuated with a surge of energy as he pushed against the building, a futile attempt to forestall its inevitable collapse. But he only needed to hold it off for as long as possible. Long enough to let everyone inside escape, and those on the ground to get clear. Hopefully.

A loud CRUMP! from overhead, made him look up, in time to receive a foot-wide slab of concrete to the face, shattering his cheekbone and tearing his mask off. Grimacing at the agony blossoming through him, he continued pushing, using the pain to fuel his anger, to keep himself going, just as he'd told Vie to do a few minutes before. His goggles shattered, and he felt either sweat or blood trickling down his cheek. Probably blood, he realised, as his right eye was now useless. Well, it would dissolve into energy soon enough. No time to think, no time to do anything except act...

The roof fell in above him, and dust billowed outwards as windows shattered, showering him with jagged shards of glass, ripping into his costume. A deafening boom echoed through him, and he flung back his head in agony as his eardrums tore.

He had no time to think. No time to shut down his pain receptors. No time to use the physical advantages his powers gave him, and the sight of roaring, brilliant flames moving upward to engulf the building - and him - brought fear to his heart. As the first flame licked at his feet he resigned himself to the destruction of his body once more, and closed his eyes to ward away the terror.

* * * * *

Opening his eyes an instant later, he was surprised to find himself pushing against a solid wall. Pristine windows glinted in the flashing lights from the police and ambulance vehicles on the street below.

A wave of nausea swept over him as his body began to recover from its wounds, using energy from inside that ghastly apartment. Using energy from another world. As he lost consciousness, the ragged remains of his suit triggered his emergency medical beacon, and he was teleported away.

[Phoenix]

23rd January 2008

As the grave threat of the Master is made fully obvious by another silent slaying late at night, the eighth in the chain, the PPD has played its last hand. All of the remaining targets on the list have been very quietly taken into protective custody at a classified location. At midnight, a message arrives for the Alliance, sent through 351, heavily encoded and marked CONFIDENTIAL-EYES ONLY. The key to the code is streamed in parts, some meaningless decoys and some real, to the Alliance overnight. The message, once decoded, reads as follows.



<<<<<<<<FBSACkKAdams-PPDSgtJTaylor-01232008-CONF-EO-FA(ORDERPROTCUST_10422103)>>>>>>>>

PPD has taken the remaining civilians on the potential target list into protective custody effective immediately, moving them to a secure facility. Said list provided to PPD by the Alliance has proven to be accurate, and PPD are working with FBSA to ensure maximum security coverage with minimum outward appearance of such.

PPD/FBSA have secured the assistance of freelance Heroes, some believed to be known to the Alliance and all known to be trustworthy, to assist in the guard of this facility, and thus the aid of the Alliance is no longer required in this element of the operation.

PPD requests that the Alliance shift its resources to locating and subduing 'the Master' as soon as possible. Full Portal Corp security clearance and use of PC equipment should it be required has been arranged for Alliance members at any time. All PPD and FBSA information regarding suspect is attached.

The Fletched Alliance is officially granted temporary immunity from prosecutions and/or damages directly resulting from operations to capture or kill the Master.

Good luck, Heroes.

<<<<<<<<FBSACkKAdams-PPDSgtJTaylor-01232008-CONF-EO-FA(ORDERPROTCUST_10422103)>>>>>>>>


Attached to the message is a series of encoded files, many of them security footage and images of the Master at work in the apartment block. Others include witness reports of strange behaivour among civilians immediately before the murders.

Portal Corp. reports and technical readouts regard the Master's dimensional entrances and exits, the Corporation's scientists having tentatively concluded that he is coming from a dimension as yet uncharted by their scanners. The pages of data also indicate that their attempts to extrapolate a connection back to this mystery dimension have failed, often accompanied by spectacular failure of Portal Corp equipment.

Several combat analyses of the Master's unique style by experienced swordsmen both hero and civilian are included as well. They conclude that when fully armed and prepared, as he is when he is on the hunt for his targets, he is virtually invincible, manipulating entire groups of people to achieve his goals with minimum fuss-the incident in the apartment block is marked out as unusual.

The manner in which he uses his twin blades is marked as different to any human the analysts have yet seen-the style is so fast that the Master appears to be reacting to the actions of his opponents before they happen. Psychic precognition on his part has not been ruled out. The experts recommend that an assault would be best timed when the Master is unprepared for it, however, they can offer no realistic scenario where this is the case, and counsel further observation.

The final few files concern the identity of the mysterious man in black armour. Whoever he is, he appears to be appearing from the same dimension as the Master, and the reports caution that he and the criminal may be colluding on the murders. They also note, however, that his recent actions in saving the apartment block from collapse cast doubt on this theory. Overall, the experts rate him as a potential threat, but nonetheless one that could be a supreme ally of convenience if it turns out that he is decisively opposed to the Master.

[Shadowe]

{Huntington Manor, 23 January 2008, Approx 8.00am}

Samantha Huntington pushed the thin sheet off her legs, stretched, and rolled off her bed. She quickly ran through her morning exercise routine, unleashing several bursts of intense radiation that were recorded by her suite's scanners, and absorbed by the heavy shielding in the walls.

Glancing at herself in the mirror, she stuck her tongue out at the image she saw, then strolled into the en-suite, and ran the shower. As she washed herself she noted an all-too familiar blinking light signifying a waiting message. Stepping out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around her head and slipped into a comfortable bathrobe before moving to sit at her dressing table.

There she put on her watch, checking that it was properly linked, and her necklace.

"Playback messages, please, Helena."

Her eyes widened as the report from 351 was replayed for her, and rather than dressing herself, she twisted the dial on her watch, and felt her clothes form in place around her.

She waited until the message had finished, then listened carefully to all the extra detail in the appended files. As the report ended, she nodded curtly to herself.

"Command begins. Analyse data on 'the Master'. Cross-reference to Richard's suit recordings. Begin wave-function calculations. Use all processing capacity, except essential functions and that required for further commands. Secondary command. Analyse data on the stranger - designate as 'Dark Warrior' - that'll have to do until we get a better name for him - full combat analysis. Also analyse actions, timing and interactions. Determine probable motivations. Secondary command. Contact Portal Corp. Request raw dimensional incursion data. Analyse data once received. Share processing responsibility with 351. Analyse against latest theoretical advances in dimensional shifts."

She paused, considering for a moment. "And find Kit. If there's anyone who knows about dimensional travel, it's her."

[Kitmarch]

chemlak said:

"And find Kit."

((We hijack this serious plot thread for some random silliness))

[Phoenix]

((very good. ^_^ onvard!))


As the quiet seemingly returns, analysis of the Portal Corp data continues, another mountain being added by direct data from the Master's presumed home dimension, the Corporation managing to force a probe through an odd area of recursive dimensions between Primal Earth and the Master's home. The other world is a strange place, an endless desert with seemingly constant sun, high winds and wild variations in gravity from point to point.

Analysis of the Master in combat is proving difficult due to incomplete data, but his sheer speed remains inarguable. 351 has finished compiling a report on the man in black and has sent it back to Helena as well as the FA.


'Dark Warrior' report, as requested by Sam

Name: Unknown
Alias: The Shadow, the Watcher, the Watchman, Stranger, Strides-Over-Worlds
Height: Estimated 7'7"
Weight: Estimated 270lb

This guy goes back a long way. First recorded sighting was in the Holy Roman Empire, modern-day Koln, around 1200AD, where he apparently slew a 'daemon' terrorising the town.

May have fought in the armies of the Holy Roman Emperors. Accounts from opposing forces recount a tale of a giant in black, carving through entire lines like paper and single-handedly routing entire companies.

Vanished again when the Empire was at its peak, and is rumoured to have had some hand in the creation of the Interregnum from 1246 to 1273, where much of the Empire's practical power over its territories was lost and the local princes assumed much of the actual rule, before the rise of the Hapsburg Emperors.

Records place him in Japan around the 1330s, where he may have assisted in the destruction of the Kamakura Shogunate following the failed Mongol invasion of Japan.

The list goes on. Name a major event and he was probably there or involved in some form. The English Civil War, the Boston Tea Party, the American Civil War, the World Wars... he's everywhere. For more than 800 years he's been subtly involved in the history of the world.

Recently, sightings have been rarer. Occasional reports of him sighted in Paragon, during the Rikti Wars, the Rularuu Invasion, and other similar events persist. In all cases, he has seemingly sided with the population of Earth and the Heroes.

Combat style varies wildly. Uses a sword and shield, sometimes metal, sometimes forged out of flames. Appears to be strongly pyrokinetic and to have some form of control over matter/space/time, as we saw at the apartment block.

Motivations are unfathomable, but overall, analysis suggests that he's more on our side than the Master's. 351 out.

[Phoenix]

Elsewhere

The man in black strides across a huge hall, his footsteps echoing loudly in the quiet, a smaller figure in a hooded red robe hastening after him. Lowering himself into a throne beneath a vast window, he raises a hand, images appearing in the air before him and his ally.

The Master, celebrating victory.
The Alliance broken and destroyed.
The unending tide of darkness unleashed over everything.

"The streams converge to two, and only one is acceptable. It is nearly time. Soon, we will see the catalyst for all that is to come, and at that moment, they will know."

His eyes turning to the silent figure in red, he speaks calmly, quietly.
"My friend, you must travel to the Fracture. You will await the arrival of the Alliance and you will assist them in their passage."

Bobbing a bow, the figure responds, an soft female voice, slightly halting and varying in tone.

"We were pleased to have been having the opportunity to have helped you, Watchman. When the Alliance had arrived, they will have been taken care of."

At a nod from the Watchman, the figure departs, scurrying away through the large doors at the other end of the room.

Soon now... very soon, things will begin to come together.

[Phoenix]

After crossing the Desert and the Fracture and thwarting the Master's plans Elsewhere, the Alliance returned to Earth, into a period of almost suspicious quiet. No sign of the Master has been detected on Earth in more than a week. The PPD has begun rotating the remaining targets, moving small groups of them from place to place on a top-secret timetable, trying to confuse the picture further and keep the innocents safe.

Elsewhere, the silence of the great Hall of Doors is broken again...


Elsewhere

Three figures sit at the head of the hall, the tall, strong frame of the Watchman on his throne and the smaller Guide perched atop the nearest table. At one of the chairs sits another person, a dark-haired woman garbed in the hooded cloaks typical of the desert, though this one is deep, royal purple as opposed to the usual red. The conversation is quiet, calm, but urgent and businesslike.


The woman in purple leans forward, a frown etched onto her face. "I've been watching the Master, as you instructed. He's quiet. Too quiet. I think he's up to something."

The Watchman remains unmoved, his eyes unreadable as ever. "The Blademaster is always 'up to something'. His schemes have never incorporated dead time. What remains to be seen is the precise nature of this quiet."

The Guide pipes up, her odd voice echoing off the massive walls. "What you perceived as the future... it is... clouded."

The woman looks sharply at her. "Clouded? I thought you said you saw all of time at the same... well, time?"

"Normally, we did. But in this case there is a veil over what you had called the future. It would prevent us from seeing past it. It is worrying us."

"The Black Tide the Master talked about, maybe?"

"Perhaps..." the Watchman muses. "Perhaps more an effect of that future than the Tide itself, but still, if that is what he seeks to bring about..."

"We're still missing something, aren't we?"

"Yes. To be precise, someone. Jane."

"Circle-of-Flame! We will have met her, she was a nice person. You thought that she would be important."

The woman slumps back into her chair. "Problem is, she lacks confidence. She's more powerful than I am, by an order of magnitude, but she can't see it. She doesn't believe it."

The Watchman's face, for a moment, hints at a smile. "When I first brought you here, when I first told you something of the truth, you did not believe."

The woman smirks subtly. "It was a pretty big tale you told me. But you were right, you have been right, so far. I trust you, as much as I trust anyone these days. The Master has to be stopped. And we need Jane and the Alliance on side to do that."

The Watchman stands, slowly, and scans the room. "And that will be your new task. Ayrsolus will take over surveillance of the Blademaster's activities-"

"I will have been pleased that I had had the chance to perform this service for you, Watchman."

"-and you will return to Primal Earth. I trust you to use whatever methods you deem appropriate to bring her to the point of the most important branch."

The woman rises to her feet and follows the Watchman to a door, waiting patiently as his fingers flicker over the stone and the familiar blue light appears behind it. Taking hold of the handle, she pulls it open, grinning.

"Understood. You, I assume, will continue being a mysterious ancient bastard?"

The Watchman smiles and grips her shoulder for a moment before stepping back from the door.

"But of course. Now, go. Good luck, Kimberly."

"And you, Johannes."

With a final nod, she turns and steps into the light, vanishing from view as the door slams shut behind her.