***
They'd placed our mystery girl in a secure ward that looked more then a little bit like a cluttered interrogation room, right down to the one way mirror
with an observation room behind it. It seemed a little excessive to me, but hey, I can understand the reasoning.
Melissa led us into the observation room, giving us a good look at the girl, lying still on the hospital bed. For some reason, I found the sight of her large
wings, spread out flat underneath her, to be oddly amusing. Then I got my first look at her face without the mask and goggles, and for a moment, my heart
nearly stopped.
She looked like Mum. She was obviously younger, and there was her ears to consider, but the resemblance was stunning. As looked at her, I flashed back eight
years, to another hospital room, holding my younger sister close as Mum made jokes about how she'd finally managed to shake off that weight that'd been
lingering on her, even as she coughed so bad her lungs rattled with every word.
It lasted a only a brief moment, then I was back in the present, looking at the woman that was so obviously family, my hands trembling. Closing my eyes for a
moment, I got myself under control. "So, how is she?" I asked.
"Just sleeping," Melissa replied. "She'll wake up in a minute... then we'll take a look at her mental state." I was about to ask
what she meant by that, but the girl began to stir.
She sat up, rubbing at her eyes. Her ears and wings both twitched as her expression shifted from sleepy to confused. She looked up and around, then frowned.
"Okay, secure ward," she murmured, sliding out of the bed and making a full visual sweep of the room. "Strange, but not too worrying
yet..." she commented, before turning to the window. "Hey, what'd you guys do with my - well, that's new," she said, tilting her head to
the side.
"What's she looking at?" Sword wondered.
"Herself," Evangelia responded. "Remember the pictures?" she said, as I figured out her meaning. Every time she'd been awakened,
she'd had a different form. Not always female, heck, not always entirely human, just like this time. Maybe this was the first time she'd gotten wings.
Then she said a single sentence that left me gaping. "I look like Mum." It was said in a quiet, thoughtful tone, as she moved her wings and brushed a
hand along one of her ears. I leaned forward, as close to the glass as possible, watching her. The motions seemed natural, suited to that body, but her first
reaction to her face had mirrored mine almost exactly.
As much as magic confused me, I can at least put together the evidence and figure out what had happened. That crystal hadn't just used my DNA as a
template. It had used my mind as well. I looked at her for a moment longer, then decided to go speak to her. Ignoring Eva's questions, I turned and walked
out of the observation room and headed for the ward doors, passing right by the Doctor that had been waiting for Melissa's signal. He made a slight protest
as I threw the doors open and stepped inside.
She turned at the noise, watching me. I came to a halt about two meters from her, remaining silent as I studied her, and let her do the same to me. Finally,
she broke the silence. "I don't really need to ask," she said in a soft voice. "But for my peace of mind, I will anyway. Who are you?"
"Knight of the Peace," I answered, in a voice that sounded more steady then I felt. "Member of the Legendary, registered superhero-"
"-Technology Blaster. I'd list your name, but there are people watching." She smiled slightly, an impish little smile I'd seen all too often
on Miranda when she was being an annoying little sister.
That smile helped, as I let a snicker escape. "I'm sure you know it," I admitted.
Her smile widened into a grin for a moment, before fading quickly. "You're the real Knight, aren't you?" she asked. When I nodded she closed
her eyes. "It fits. I grabbed the crystal, got trapped in the fire, then I got set on fire. I saw you for a moment, then passed out."
"Pretty much as I remember it," I agreed. "Aside from the ending on my side." She sighed, wings fluttering. She closed her eyes for a
moment, head tilting to the side for a moment as she thought about the situation. Which was one of my habits for when I was trying to wrap my mind around
something. Watching it from the outside on someone elses face was... interesting.
After a minute of so, her eyes opened again. "It's weird, but this feels normal. I mean, I didn't even notice these until I saw my
reflection," she noted as her wings fluttered again, just in time to stop me from taking that line entirely the wrong way. "Heck, wings, ears... the
entire package," she said, waving a hand at a figure that the gown didn't hide completely. "Hey Eva," she added as Eva, Sword and Melissa
finally entered the room behind me. "...What are you doing here?"
"She was checking up on me," I said. "Do you know what you are?"
The girl gave me a look. "A better looking you?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip. I gave her a patient look. "That's part of the
weird," she said. "I... know, for back of a better word. I was made for a purpose, designed for a certain duty." She shrugged. "Probably
helping me deal with all... this." There was an awkward silence.
Eva broke it a moment later. "Do... Do you have a name?" she asked.
My... sister? Daughter? Clone? Well, she looked rather uncomfortable at this point. "I... I don't know," she said, suddenly uncertain. "I
mean, I must have a name, right? Maybe... maybe it's part of the spell..." Looking at her, I was filled with a sudden understanding.
A name. An identity. More then anything else, it was vital she have that. And somehow, I knew what it was. I didn't know how I knew this, or why, but
frankly, I didn't care. "Ifrit," I said. She looked over at me. "That's your name," I said softly. "If you'll take
it."
Her face lit up with a smile, and for a moment I got the impression she was going to leap over and hug me, which would have knocked the day past strange and
into mind-bogglingly bizarre.
Thankfully, the moment was broken by screams and gunfire from below, followed by security alarms sounding throughout the hospital. "What the hell?"
Sword growled, pulling his rifle off his back.
Evas eyes blazed with power. "Lobby," she ordered, heading for the door. "Stay here," she said to Ifrit, who blinked and looked indignant
as we ran out.
We took the emergency stairs, leaping over the railings and dropping, nearly colliding with a purple haired elfgirl on the way. "Zounds! Crime in a
hospital?" Space Mage declared as we reached the bottom floor.
"You were looking for any excuse to say Zounds," I mused. She merely grinned as Eva pushed the door open slightly, getting a look into the hospital
entrance, and the Pantheon Shaman surrounded by the bodies he'd stolen from the morgue. "How the hell did he get through security?" I wondered. A
crazy looking man in a loincloth that stinks of rotting flesh and bad hygine tends to draw attention, even in Paragon.
There was a blur of movement as a trench coat sped across the floor under its own power, stopping at our feet. Spacey pulled it inside before anyone could
notice and took a quick sniff, before recoiling. "Guh! Bad laundry habit on cheap disguises," she said, tossing it away. "Why can't evil
ever pay for dry cleaning... Okay boss, what's the plan?"
"Space Mage, Knight, get the civilians clear," she ordered, drawing her massive sword. "Sell-sword, covering fire, target the zombies."
Curiously enough, he merely nodded and checked his weapons. "Go!"
It was a simple plan, which was fine. Zombies rarely have the brains left for anything complicated, which meant it was a simple case of Space and I blasting in
and getting the civilians clear, Sword makes a loud distraction, and Evangelia goes and uses her sword on the Shaman behind this.
Of course, all plans have their flaws. In this case, it was the Shaman having made a backup plan of his own. By the time we'd reached the ground floor,
he'd crafted a rather ugly spell circle and begun a summoning spell. Right as Eva reached the madman, yelling a battle cry about love and justice, one of
the Banished Pantheons magically animated Totems tore its way into reality, blindsiding Eva and throwing her across the room. As she crashed into a snack
machine, the Totem roared and turned its attention to the civilians trying to get into the elevator.
"Bad giant voodoo doll!" Space yelled, moving for a clear shot. I dropped my shoulder and charged, pulling a move Wide Receiver had used to great
effect in the past. Sure, I didn't have his sheer mass, but hey, that's why God gave us rocket boots. With the sheer speed they granted me, I slammed
into the Totem, lifted it into the air, and a moment later, we were crashing through the doors and out onto the street.
I rolled as I hit the ground, trying to get to my feet, but the Totem beat me to it, nailing me with a punch to the jaw that lifted me into the air and dropped
me flat on my back. Stunned, I lay there for a moment, before a hand clamped around my ankle like a vice. I tried to sit up and aim my gauntlets, only to
manage a wordless yell as it picked me up and tossed me across the road. There was a painful collision, and as my vision cleared, it became clear I'd
actually been buried in a mailbox.
"You know, that's actually a federal offense," I groaned as the Totem stomped over and stood above me, raising its fists.
They'd placed our mystery girl in a secure ward that looked more then a little bit like a cluttered interrogation room, right down to the one way mirror
with an observation room behind it. It seemed a little excessive to me, but hey, I can understand the reasoning.
Melissa led us into the observation room, giving us a good look at the girl, lying still on the hospital bed. For some reason, I found the sight of her large
wings, spread out flat underneath her, to be oddly amusing. Then I got my first look at her face without the mask and goggles, and for a moment, my heart
nearly stopped.
She looked like Mum. She was obviously younger, and there was her ears to consider, but the resemblance was stunning. As looked at her, I flashed back eight
years, to another hospital room, holding my younger sister close as Mum made jokes about how she'd finally managed to shake off that weight that'd been
lingering on her, even as she coughed so bad her lungs rattled with every word.
It lasted a only a brief moment, then I was back in the present, looking at the woman that was so obviously family, my hands trembling. Closing my eyes for a
moment, I got myself under control. "So, how is she?" I asked.
"Just sleeping," Melissa replied. "She'll wake up in a minute... then we'll take a look at her mental state." I was about to ask
what she meant by that, but the girl began to stir.
She sat up, rubbing at her eyes. Her ears and wings both twitched as her expression shifted from sleepy to confused. She looked up and around, then frowned.
"Okay, secure ward," she murmured, sliding out of the bed and making a full visual sweep of the room. "Strange, but not too worrying
yet..." she commented, before turning to the window. "Hey, what'd you guys do with my - well, that's new," she said, tilting her head to
the side.
"What's she looking at?" Sword wondered.
"Herself," Evangelia responded. "Remember the pictures?" she said, as I figured out her meaning. Every time she'd been awakened,
she'd had a different form. Not always female, heck, not always entirely human, just like this time. Maybe this was the first time she'd gotten wings.
Then she said a single sentence that left me gaping. "I look like Mum." It was said in a quiet, thoughtful tone, as she moved her wings and brushed a
hand along one of her ears. I leaned forward, as close to the glass as possible, watching her. The motions seemed natural, suited to that body, but her first
reaction to her face had mirrored mine almost exactly.
As much as magic confused me, I can at least put together the evidence and figure out what had happened. That crystal hadn't just used my DNA as a
template. It had used my mind as well. I looked at her for a moment longer, then decided to go speak to her. Ignoring Eva's questions, I turned and walked
out of the observation room and headed for the ward doors, passing right by the Doctor that had been waiting for Melissa's signal. He made a slight protest
as I threw the doors open and stepped inside.
She turned at the noise, watching me. I came to a halt about two meters from her, remaining silent as I studied her, and let her do the same to me. Finally,
she broke the silence. "I don't really need to ask," she said in a soft voice. "But for my peace of mind, I will anyway. Who are you?"
"Knight of the Peace," I answered, in a voice that sounded more steady then I felt. "Member of the Legendary, registered superhero-"
"-Technology Blaster. I'd list your name, but there are people watching." She smiled slightly, an impish little smile I'd seen all too often
on Miranda when she was being an annoying little sister.
That smile helped, as I let a snicker escape. "I'm sure you know it," I admitted.
Her smile widened into a grin for a moment, before fading quickly. "You're the real Knight, aren't you?" she asked. When I nodded she closed
her eyes. "It fits. I grabbed the crystal, got trapped in the fire, then I got set on fire. I saw you for a moment, then passed out."
"Pretty much as I remember it," I agreed. "Aside from the ending on my side." She sighed, wings fluttering. She closed her eyes for a
moment, head tilting to the side for a moment as she thought about the situation. Which was one of my habits for when I was trying to wrap my mind around
something. Watching it from the outside on someone elses face was... interesting.
After a minute of so, her eyes opened again. "It's weird, but this feels normal. I mean, I didn't even notice these until I saw my
reflection," she noted as her wings fluttered again, just in time to stop me from taking that line entirely the wrong way. "Heck, wings, ears... the
entire package," she said, waving a hand at a figure that the gown didn't hide completely. "Hey Eva," she added as Eva, Sword and Melissa
finally entered the room behind me. "...What are you doing here?"
"She was checking up on me," I said. "Do you know what you are?"
The girl gave me a look. "A better looking you?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip. I gave her a patient look. "That's part of the
weird," she said. "I... know, for back of a better word. I was made for a purpose, designed for a certain duty." She shrugged. "Probably
helping me deal with all... this." There was an awkward silence.
Eva broke it a moment later. "Do... Do you have a name?" she asked.
My... sister? Daughter? Clone? Well, she looked rather uncomfortable at this point. "I... I don't know," she said, suddenly uncertain. "I
mean, I must have a name, right? Maybe... maybe it's part of the spell..." Looking at her, I was filled with a sudden understanding.
A name. An identity. More then anything else, it was vital she have that. And somehow, I knew what it was. I didn't know how I knew this, or why, but
frankly, I didn't care. "Ifrit," I said. She looked over at me. "That's your name," I said softly. "If you'll take
it."
Her face lit up with a smile, and for a moment I got the impression she was going to leap over and hug me, which would have knocked the day past strange and
into mind-bogglingly bizarre.
Thankfully, the moment was broken by screams and gunfire from below, followed by security alarms sounding throughout the hospital. "What the hell?"
Sword growled, pulling his rifle off his back.
Evas eyes blazed with power. "Lobby," she ordered, heading for the door. "Stay here," she said to Ifrit, who blinked and looked indignant
as we ran out.
We took the emergency stairs, leaping over the railings and dropping, nearly colliding with a purple haired elfgirl on the way. "Zounds! Crime in a
hospital?" Space Mage declared as we reached the bottom floor.
"You were looking for any excuse to say Zounds," I mused. She merely grinned as Eva pushed the door open slightly, getting a look into the hospital
entrance, and the Pantheon Shaman surrounded by the bodies he'd stolen from the morgue. "How the hell did he get through security?" I wondered. A
crazy looking man in a loincloth that stinks of rotting flesh and bad hygine tends to draw attention, even in Paragon.
There was a blur of movement as a trench coat sped across the floor under its own power, stopping at our feet. Spacey pulled it inside before anyone could
notice and took a quick sniff, before recoiling. "Guh! Bad laundry habit on cheap disguises," she said, tossing it away. "Why can't evil
ever pay for dry cleaning... Okay boss, what's the plan?"
"Space Mage, Knight, get the civilians clear," she ordered, drawing her massive sword. "Sell-sword, covering fire, target the zombies."
Curiously enough, he merely nodded and checked his weapons. "Go!"
It was a simple plan, which was fine. Zombies rarely have the brains left for anything complicated, which meant it was a simple case of Space and I blasting in
and getting the civilians clear, Sword makes a loud distraction, and Evangelia goes and uses her sword on the Shaman behind this.
Of course, all plans have their flaws. In this case, it was the Shaman having made a backup plan of his own. By the time we'd reached the ground floor,
he'd crafted a rather ugly spell circle and begun a summoning spell. Right as Eva reached the madman, yelling a battle cry about love and justice, one of
the Banished Pantheons magically animated Totems tore its way into reality, blindsiding Eva and throwing her across the room. As she crashed into a snack
machine, the Totem roared and turned its attention to the civilians trying to get into the elevator.
"Bad giant voodoo doll!" Space yelled, moving for a clear shot. I dropped my shoulder and charged, pulling a move Wide Receiver had used to great
effect in the past. Sure, I didn't have his sheer mass, but hey, that's why God gave us rocket boots. With the sheer speed they granted me, I slammed
into the Totem, lifted it into the air, and a moment later, we were crashing through the doors and out onto the street.
I rolled as I hit the ground, trying to get to my feet, but the Totem beat me to it, nailing me with a punch to the jaw that lifted me into the air and dropped
me flat on my back. Stunned, I lay there for a moment, before a hand clamped around my ankle like a vice. I tried to sit up and aim my gauntlets, only to
manage a wordless yell as it picked me up and tossed me across the road. There was a painful collision, and as my vision cleared, it became clear I'd
actually been buried in a mailbox.
"You know, that's actually a federal offense," I groaned as the Totem stomped over and stood above me, raising its fists.