Chronicles

[Phoenix]

Yeah, I'm still alive.

So's, I wuz wandering through the forums this morning and said to myself 'hey, a lot of people has art threads'. Then I said 'stop talking to yourself, it's weird'.

ANYWAY.

Cause I can't draw worth a damn, I can't have one of those. So I thought I'd make a li'l topic down here for all the little bits of story that never got finished or got rendered useless by plot developments or just don't really have a purpose beyond existing because I wrote them.


Contents (because organisation is apparently a good thing. Who knew? O.o)

Ruby, Bloody Ruby (Intended to be first part of a series, never got on to the second one)
Jen Zi - Origins (unfinished)
Immortal (unpublished for no real reason)
Kat In Wonderland - Down the Rabbit Hole (unfinished, non-canon)
Creeds (background I guess! see some of the May creation process! in the unlikely event that you care. )

Feedback, comments etc. welcomed as always.

[Phoenix]

I figures seperate posts is the best way to organise this. I even has one I just found ready to go!

Li'l thing about my rather underplayed and even more underRPed Mastermind, from around one of the Christmas events, possibly '06.


~~~~~~~~~~

Ruby, Bloody Ruby

Draining the remnants of her beer, she expertly flicked the bottle across the room, the glass shattering on the bottom of a metal bin in the corner. Lightly resting her head on the wall behind her, she relaxed again, her fingers idly brushing the butt of the black pistol tucked into her belt. Closing her eyes, she drifted away into a memory.

"That isn't a toy, Ruby... put it down. Now."
"..."
"I'm serious, young lady. Put it down now, or there will be consequences!"
The gun hovered in front of her, pointed straight at her so-called foster parents, her hands shaking slightly as she took a step back.
"Ruby! Listen to me! Put the gun down!"
"My name... is REIKO!"
Twice she pulled the trigger, two echoing shots bursting into her ears, the cold metal jolting in her hands and blood staining the wall as the imposters collapsed to the ground...

Two shots... thirteen bullets left.

A voice filtered in at the edge of consciousness. "Rei? You alright?"
Forcing her eyes open again, she looked up into a familiar pair of bright-green eyes. Jack, the first friend she had made in the living hell of the Rogue Isles, was looking down at her, a hint of concern etched onto his handsome face.
"Yeah, I'm OK. Just thinking."
Smirking at this, Jack turned to a somewhat older, heavier-set man slouching in a busted armchair across the room. "Y'think we should call an ambulance, Harry? This ain't normal."
The older man chuckled and took a swig from his bottle. "I'm sure she'll survive."
Stifling a laugh, Reiko leaned forward and gave Jack a playful punch in the shoulder. "Very funny."

All three tensed and looked up as the door banged open and shut, then relaxed again as they saw who it was. Pulling herself to her feet, Reiko leaned against the wall and flicked a wave. "Hey Tom. Any luck?"
The wiry young man she was addressing held up a black cloth bag and dropped it on the bar, the contents clinking. "Mother-lode. Loads of expensive-lookin' Rikti tech."
Reiko beamed, wandering over to give Tom a quick hug, then turning to the bag and pulling it open, dumping its contents onto the bar. They had been right... the freaks that the Isles called the Lost had been guarding a treasure trove of small Rikti gadgets.

"Looks good. Nice work, boys."
Leaning over the bar, she pulled another pair of beer bottles from under it, keeping one for herself and tossing the other to Tom, who meandered over to the battle-worn couch and slumped into it. Resuming her station on the wall, she flipped the top off the bottle and took a few gulps.
Harry straightened in his chair and turned his head to look at her. "So what's the plan now?"
Reiko shrugged. "Think I got a buyer for this stuff already. We'll go offload it tomorrow. As for tonight... I heard there's been a ton of heroes in Pocket D recently. Might be a goldmine of information for us. Was thinkin' of heading over there and seeing what I can hear."
Harry nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Alright. You want us to come with?"
"If you want. One of us should probably stay and keep this place manned, though."
Fishing down the side of the couch for the TV remote, Tom raised his bottle and grinned. "My kinda job!"
Smirking lop-sidedly at him, Reiko gulped down the rest of the beer and shoved off the wall, grabbing her comfortable red trenchcoat from its peg next to the bar. "You two can catch up. I got a plan."
Glancing around, she spotted the familiar square of red fabric on the edge of the couch and scooped it up. Brushing her short hair back with a hand, she tied the rag securely around her head, pulling her sunglasses from her pocket and slipping them on.

Harry stopped her at the door. "You sure you wanna go out lookin' like that?"
Reiko half-turned and looked down at her clothing - a tight, short-sleeved halfshirt that ended immediately below her breasts, black shorts, and high-heeled leather boots. "There a problem with my outfit?"
Harry grinned. "Not a thing, hon. Just might give people ideas."
She grinned back. "Good. People tend to let stuff slip more when they're all slack-jawed and staring."
Slipping the coat over her shoulders, she pulled it closed and clicked the door open, marching out into the cold and slamming it behind her.

[Phoenix]

I write quite a lot that never gets finished or even properly titled. JZ-fiction ahoy!

~~~~~~~~

Jen Zi - Origins

Tian Shan mountains, northern China
January 1986

Two hunched figures battled through the deep snow, a whirling blizzard tearing at their clothes and faces. Distant shouts echoed inthe peaks behind them, their pursuers having difficulty staying co-ordinated in the storm. Cresting a minor peak, the pair spotted a low, fenced wooden building built on a plateau between the mountains, its hooded torches flickering and sputtering as the gale tore at them

Stumbling the last few yards, the man fell hard against the closed gate and hammered on it with his fists, his wife bent against the howling wind, protecting a small bundle she held in one arm.

Something clicked, and a hooded figure in red pulled the gate open. Pulling the hood up to see the visitors more clearly, the monk struggled to contain his surprise. Before him stood two ragged city-folk, a kind rarely seen up in the mountains, their rich clothes torn and bloodied. Shouting above the force of the storm, he addressed them in Mandarin.

"What brings you here?"
The man stepped forward and spoke quickly, his wife holding onto him tightly.
"We seek only shelter for our child. We are being pursued by... something... inhuman forces! They do not stop or rest, they only chase! They want us dead!"
Glancing down, the monk spotted the tightly-wrapped bundle in the woman's arms and frowned.
"This is most unusual..."



Again they ran, struggling through the drifts as their pursuers drew closer and closer. As they struggled up another incline, they were spotted, muscular men in black armour levelling automatic weapons at them and barking out an order in Mandarin.
"Stop right there! You've led us a merry dance, but this ends here and now."
Glancing briefly at each other, the pair stood and turned to face their pursuers, the woman speaking in a trembling voice.
"Take our lives if you must, but please, spare our daughter!"
Peering at the bundle in her arms, the agent levelled his weapon, what little light there was glinting off an arachnoid symbol on his chestplate.
"I am sorry, but that is the one thing I cannot do."
Smirking under his helmet, the agent fired, cutting down the two figures, the bundle rolling into the snow and slowly sliding to a halt, the cloth stained with red. The others in his party caught up with him as he glanced down at the two faces, confirming the identities of the targets.
A somewhat larger man drew alongside him, speaking in English. "Well?"
"Mission accomplished, sir. I assure you they are quite dead."
"Well done. Lord Recluse will be pleased."
"Should we bury the bodies, sir?"
"No. Leave them, the snow will hide them soon enough."

Amid much self-congratulation and back-slapping, the men turned and picked their way through the snow, heading back down the mountain towards civilisation and a well-earned drink. They were too far away to see the wrapping of the bundle loosen and fly away, leaving behind only a tied-together bunch of twigs.



Looking into their eyes as they stood there, the monk understood. These were the best of parents, willing to sacrifice their own lives to save their child. Shaking his hands free of his sleeves, he gently took the child and sheltered her under a fold of his robes. Looking into the eyes of her parents, he gave them each a brief bow.
"Good luck, and all blessings upon you for your bravery."
The pair bowed deeply to him, then ran, swiftly vanishing into the whirling snow. He watched them go, then quietly closed and locked the gate, hurrying across the courtyard to the shelter of the dormitory. Pushing the door open and ducking inside, he placed the child softly on the ground for a moment and pulled off the heavy robes, hanging them on a peg near the door. Kneeling by the child, he looked down into a very small pair of clear brown eyes, watching him almost curiously, as if wondering who this strange new person was. The baby cooed and gurgled quietly as he scooped her up again, picking his way carefully though the sleeping monks towards the master's room.

The white-haired old man within looked up at the soft knocking on his door, pausing in his writings and speaking in a low, calm voice.
"Come."
The door creaked open and one of his junior monks entered the room, bowing deeply as he did so and kneeling on the ground, next to the small table the old man was working at. Carefully, he held out the child to the old man.
"This child has been placed in our care, Master. I did not think it right to turn her parents away."
Swiftly clearing the papers from the table, the old man took the child and laid her gently upon the table.
"And in that you were correct, my student. When this storm clears, we shall fashion her a crib. Until then, I shall keep watch over her. I sense something about this one... she is special, somehow."
As the monk made himself scarce, bobbing another bow as he left, the old man smiled down at the child as she yawned hugely and closed her eyes..
"There is something... you, I think, will have a great destiny."

[Phoenix]

This I wrote while in oddly philosophical mood after EotB ended. Don't do first-person Jane a whole lot, find it harder than it probably should be, but I think it came out reasonably. o.O

~~~~~~

Immortal

I never asked to be pulled into all this.

So many times, I thought I knew who I was. What I was. But every time I'm proven wrong.

I thought I was normal. Then I found out about Aphelion.

I thought I was alone. Then I found the Alliance. And Kat...

I thought I was in control. But I'm not.

Destiny may be bullshit, but the Master is the hand over the chessboard, or at least over me. He had everything laid out... a scheme spanning twenty years, all to lead me to one point.

And there, I found another truth.

I thought I was mortal. It seems I'm not.

I'm hard to kill, the Kheldian does a lot for that, but I have been killed. More than once. Boy, does that sound stupid, saying that in my head.

But even after I was pulled back from the so-called final curtain those times, I knew there was one thing I could never survive.

I was wrong.

Even tearing myself from Aphelion didn't kill me. Not permanently anyway. I don't know exactly what happened and don't care to ask.

It's not... that I want to die, really. I suppose I already have, and it ain't pleasant in the slightest. But living forever ain't a terribly attractive proposition either. I've heard immortality described as a curse... lingering on while everything you know withers and dies around you.

Unless I figure out what the hell has happened to me, that's what I face in the future.

I thought I knew so many things. Now, I know I don't know much at all. The question now is what do I do?

Where can I go from here?

[Phoenix]

(sneakypost from college woo! )

So! since my not-so-subtle insinuations up there have slipped by unnoticed apparently, I would like a li'l bit of feedback from people if possible. Are zey good? bad? are people even reading them?

Don't mean to be pushy in the slightest, but pulling these out of my various notepiles and forgotten computer folders and polishing them to a readable state is an effort, and if it's not finding any interest, I'd rather know so I can stop wasting my time. If it is, cool, I likes entertaining you people after all.

*hugsforall*

[Ves]

Have not as yet had chance to read the stories etc (just woke up, eyes not working right just yet) But I do fuly intend to enjoy them.

A more well informed commenty post will be added laters, but since I enjoy your previous writings, I'm sure these'll be great too

[Kitmarch]

Also haven't read them, as I was sleeping when you posted.

And what's this "I can't draw so I can't have an art thread"? stuff. Doesn't stop me. And if you lot don't behave, Shad may post his stuff (or if he doesn't behave, I'll do it for him.)

[Phoenix]

don't mean to be whiny or anything! just saying. possibly didn't give it long enough though, noted for future stuffs and whatnot!

also:

And what's this "I can't draw so I can't have an art thread"? stuff. Doesn't stop me.

lies and slander! (is it still slander if you do it to yourself? O.o) You can draw. I can't even draw a stickman right.

[Phoenix]

also another one! t'was originally some RPing I did with Kat, which I meant to write up at the time, then plotz made it secondary and it eventually got relegated to non-canon status and abandoned! I still have the logs of the RP, though, so finishing would not be entirely impossible if I wanted to. O.o

funfact: this rp/story was where I solidified my idea of the Master's basic personality and appearance! had it been published as proposed, it would have been his first appearance. As it is, the writeup never got that far.

Also apologies for the title. i found it amusing at the time.




Kat in Wonderland - Down the Rabbit Hole

With a flash of brilliant blue light, Kat was thrown out of the door of a block of flats, hearing it slamming shut behind her. Rising to her feet and brushing herself off, she quickly glanced around. This place seemed familiar, though there was something missing. She was definitely in King's Row, though the familiar glow of the War Walls in the distance was conspicuously absent.

Hmm... interesting.

Picking a random direction, she wandered off down the street. Spotting a movement in the corner of her vision, she stopped, and headed for the mouth of an alley, where she spotted a young man being dragged away by a pair of masked surgeon-types, though they looked far too filthy to be real...

Vahzilok!

Leaping over, she shoved them away from the citizen and made short work of the villains, slamming one into the wall of the alley and sending the other soaring headfirst into a nearby trash can.Struggling up to his feet, the man looked up at her. "Ugh... thank you, whoever," he paused as he saw her properly "...whatever you are..."

Gently gripping a shoulder, she steadied him. "Kat. You're welcome."

Suddenly, the alley was flooded with bright-white light, and a harsh male voice snarled through a bullhorn.

"Police! Stay where you are!"

Edging around the corner, two policemen strode into the alley, guns raised and ready. "What's going on here?"
Kat remained calm, her voice and stance casual as ever. "This guy was about to get turned into replacement parts by some Vahz."
The officers quickly scanned the alley, then lowered and holstered their weapons. "Vahzilok... they're a real menace around here. You should have called for help rather than getting involved... miss."
"Righto!"
"Move along. Both of you. And stay out of the damn alleys. Never know what lurks in these until it's too late."
Rolling her eyes, Kat meandered out of the alley, giving the civilian a light pat on the shoulder as she passed. "Thanks!"

She had scarcely gone half a block before the victim caught up with her again, a nervous smile on his face. "Thanks... I mean it. Those cops would've been too late. Uh... you new around here? Never seen anyone with, uh... cat ears and a tail before..." The kid looked ready to bolt.
Attempting to sound reassuring, she smiled at him, trying hard to hid her eyes and teeth, to no apparent avail. "What's your name?"
"Uh... Mark, ma'am.", he stammered. I have, uh, stuff to take care of... uh... good luck with whatever you're here for." Turning abruptly, he half-ran, half-stumbled away down the street.
"OK, bye..."

Not had a reaction like that for a long while....

Turning at a thud from the alley, Kat watched impassively, her arms folded and her tail swinging randomly, as the policemen dragged the unconscious Vahzilok out of the alley and tossed them into a paddy-wagon, slamming the doors shut and returning to their own car as the van drove away. Her thoughts were rudely interrupted as a young woman in red and white abruptly bumped into her, stumbling and nearly falling.
"Oh... sorry! Didn't see you there. Not really paying attention." The girl steadied herself and brushed off some dust as she spoke. "You OK?"
"Yeah, fine. You?"
"Just a bit'o'dust, no harm done. I'll be on my way now. See ya!" With that, the young woman waltzed away along the sidewalk.

Something felt different... quickly patting herself down, Kat slipped a hand into a pocket and found that her wallet was suddenly missing. "Wait a sec..." Glancing around, her gaze fixed on the girl. "Hey, wait!"
The thief flinched and broke into a sprint, tearing towards another alley at an impressive speed.
Shaking her head, Kat launched herself into the air, aiming to come down on the girl, who noticed at the last second and swerved violently to the right, vaulting over a chain-mesh fence surrounding the entrance to the sewers and launching a flying kick at the doors, banging them open and continuing unabated.

Swearing under her breath, Kat picked up the pace, leaping through the damaged doors and continuing the pursuit. "Don't make me chase you!"
The girl grinned and put on a burst of speed. "Seems to me like you already are!" Coming to the end of a pipe, she leapt cleanly out of it, landing neatly on a platform below, shoving past a wandering Cadaver and pounding on. Somehow finding even more pace, she vanished around a corner, a metallic bang echoing through the sewer section.

Bounding around the corner, Kat screeched to a halt at a dead end.

Dead end... but she must have gone somewhere.

Examining the area more closely brought to light an area of disturbed dust adjoining a wall. Charging her fists, Kat pounded on it and it flew open on a hinge, banging against its stop and revealing a small dry room, the girl leaning heavily against the wall with her back to the door, head down and panting. "Damn... you're good... police don't last a hundred yards..."

Briskly walking up to her, Kat held out a hand. "I have more experience than your average copper. Now hand it over."
The girl smirked to herself. "Hand what over?"
"My wallet?"
"Hey, is it my fault if you lose your stuff?" the girl sneered.
Frowning, Kat tilted her head slightly to one side. "Only the guilty run. Hand it over."
“Guilty of what? How would you react if an overgrown cat started yelling at you, huh?”
Kat sighed softly. "It'd depend heavily on what was being yelled."
Suddenly, the missing wallet magically appeared in the girl's hand. "Fine, take it. You probably only got some wacko foreign money anyway. You sure ain't from around here."
Shaking her head, Kat took the wallet and pocketed it. "Thank you very much. And no, I'm not."

Groaning quietly, the girl turned and slid down the wall to the ground, her face hidden behind an arm. Several seconds of silence passed before she spoke again, her voice quiet.

"You got no idea what it's like... you wouldn't last five minutes down here with your fancy-pants morals and law-and-order."
Kat decided not to rise to this one. "You'd be surprised, miss."
"Yeah, right, miss high-an'-mighty. Bet you ain't spent a day of your life in anythin' but comfort. Bet you ain't ever had to fight off ten walkin' corpses to get enough food to survive the week. You're just like the cops... only ever carin' about keeping the streets nice an' pretty an' safe for the rich folk. No-one cares about us."
The adrenaline of the chase beginning to fade now, Kat squatted beside the girl. "Food no, but livin' on a rooftop and fighting a lot more than ten walking corpses yes. And I care about everyone. But stealing shit still isn't kosher. There are hostels an' stuff, you know..."

The first respone was a derisive snort of laughter. "You are new. No-one with a record allowed, no exceptions."
Keeping her voice calm and level, Kat continued. "Well, with those skills of yours you could join the fight for the city. ELITE could set you up with some stuff..." Realising that what she had mentioned might not even exist here, wherever here was, a frown flicked across her face.

A moment later, that suspicion was confirmed, the girl looking up and fixing her with a pair of angry, ice-blue eyes. "The fight? ELITE? The hell you babblin' about?"

Those eyes... Jane?

Slumping down against another wall, Kat tried to explain.

"Where I come from, our city was attacked by "aliens" a few years ago. Their attack was halted, but the city was and still is pretty devastated. Criminal groups like the Vahz have taken the opportunity of the weakened infrastructure to gain power and can freely operate in the streets. There are a lot less police because of the war. Some people fight to save it, and ELITE is one of the groups that coordinates people without powers."

The girl, unsurprisingly, looked rather skeptical. "OK, I'll humor you for a sec, though you sound crazy. Where is this city?"
Kat looked up at her and abruptly grinned. "Right here. It's another dimension."
The girl's voice suddenly dripped with sarcasm. "Right. Sure... You stay here, I'll fetch the cops. Worth gettin' locked up again if it means I don't have to talk to ravin' loonies. Shaking her head, she slid back up the wall and stood.
"Think about how I basically walked through that wall there and say that again, would you?"
The girl shrugged. "So you're a freak. So what?"
Darting up with inhuman speed, Kat grabbed the kid by her shirt and lifted her clean off the ground. "I am not a freak."
Struggling against the grip, the girl protested. "Woah! Woah! Put me down, damnit!"
Kat shrugged and obeyed, dropping the kid squarely onto her butt with a thud.
"Yeah. Thanks."
Kat returned to her station at the base of the wall. "I get touchy about that."

Raising an eyebrow, the girl wandered over to a straw mat in the corner and lay down on it. "So that was touchy? Remind me never to make you angry. Makes sense, though..."
"Don't start, I get enough crap from people where those like me are commonplace."
Some of the sarcasm oozed back into the kid's voice. "What, so this is like a cat-person 'dimension' where you come from?"
"Not really. I meant more..." Kat cringed as she spoke, "non-human."
The kid's tone of voice was suddenly matched by a wide smirk as she spoke. "So you're from another planet? Hey, how do I know you're not one of these 'aliens' you talk about coming to start the invasion here?"
Biting back a comment, Kat remained cool. "You don't. But if I was, don't you think I would start somewhere other than here?"
The kid shrugged. "No-one said you were a smart alien. Though you do seem awfully possessive of your wallet. You got some cool alien gizmos in there or sommat?"
This time, Kat had to hold back a smirk of her own. "Just ID and a few cards."
"Damn. Why'd I give that back again?"
"You want cool alien gizmos, check this out ..."

Turning her back to the girl, Kat lifted her shirt enough to reveal the metallic form of Met running down her spine. Suddenly interested, the kid sat up and scuttled over to examine it.
"Woah... How'd you lose your spine and still live? That a prosthetic or sommat? Looks real complicated..."
Avoiding an imminent prodding by turning back, Kat settled into a comfortable position. "I didn't lose my spine, it's a computer and energy confinement device. It just interfaces with my nervous system. Dunno about its inner workings, mind..."

[Phoenix]

For today, a tidbit or three! (funny word, tidbit. )

Part of a thing that I do for all my characters at some point or another, in a perhaps-in-vain attempt to flesh them out a bit, give them their basic motivations. In my voluminous and badly-written notes, they be called...


Creeds


Luminous Phoenix - "It's been a long road, from there to here... I've learned a lot, but I have a whole lot more still to learn. Some people call me a freak, a monster, and maybe I am. One thing I know for sure. I've been given a great gift, a new life and the power to change the world for the better. I saw the bottom of the world on those streets, now I see them from a hundred feet up. Paying back a little of that luck to those who aren't so fortunate is the least I can do."

The Watchman - "Some things are meant to be, some things are not. My home was an example of the latter. I left the City merely a child, the echoes of death and destruction chasing me into the darkness. I returned, and I was changed. I have seen one world fall at the hands of the Master, and though it is a hunt without joy or honour, I will not see him claim another. My duty is clear.

The Master - "There is blood on my hands, this I do not deny. But in all great endeavours, the weak must be removed from the path of the truly strong. I have shown the City and its people the price of their arrogance. No-one is untouchable. And now the Fates have brought me to this backwater world, swarmed over by the dullard legions of humanity. They are fit only to follow, fit only to beg from the scraps of greatness. Only an Immortal can serve as their Master."