Scarlet screamed herself awake and sat upright in her
bed. The silk sheets clung to her moist
skin at the legs and she reached back with one arm to feel the pillow while the
other pulled the hair back from her face. Both pillow and hair were damp with
sweat. She was breathing heavily and her
eye darted around the room looking for something familiar. The window betrayed the details in her room
and her awoken terror was diminished.
"It was just a dream. It was just a dream," she whispered heavily to herself.
A small cat’s meow was at the edge of the bed. Scarlet looked suddenly and the little animal almost fled from her gaze. "Aw, Hector. No need to fear. I was just having a nightmare." With that, Hector licked his chops and cautiously approached Scarlet. As the feline walked between her legs, Scarlet stretched and pulled at her long t-shirt to remove the clothing. She threw it on the floor and scooped up Hector to bring him closer. He meowed in protest but did not fight her and Scarlet snuggled the little cat to her chin and neck. Hector purred and pushed against her with his head, a sign of affection.
"I need to figure out why these dreams are affecting me like this."
Hector continued to purr against her drying skin.
----
"Are you serious? There has to be another way." Scarlet's arms were crossed in front and she stared down at Capt. Cymru defiantly.
Cymru just stared up at her from his desk in Dawn Patrol Headquarters. "No ma'am. This is it. It's not that bad. Domgeorm and I have done it dozens of times. It does get a little used to, I'll admit. But from what I know, your symptoms are not rare. Odd, but not rare. I can set up the way to get there. After that you're on your own." Cymru looked out the window and cleared his throat. "Well that's not true. A team can do it at once. But no one can leave until the time stream is fixed. So to speak."
Scarlet considered his answer for a moment and turned on her heels to leave. Halfway in the spin she stopped and looked back at Taffy. "And you don’t know why the dreams have started?"
Taffy shook his head solemnly. "No ma'am. Ouroboros is your only solution."
----
Scarlet faced the Pillar of Ice and Flame. Tucked away in the corner, its paradoxical existence did not fit well in the Dawn Patrol base and always made Scarlet uneasy. It was placed by Xaddak months before and Scarlet avoided it and anything to do with it … until now. The ease to let another Patroller 'handle it' was all Scarlet needed. She had read the reports from Cymru and Domgeorm concerning its use. It's not natural, she thought to herself, hen smirked at the observation as the flame flickered inside the ice crystal, challenging reality.
Surrounding the large crystal were the security columns. Before that were the Olympium-infused, temporal-resistant walls guarding the room itself. These measures were untested, but Xaddak is a thorough scientist and expressed confidence that the dual aegis systems were enough to protect the headquarters in the event of a temporal accident. It was the stuff of science-fiction to Scarlet, but then again, she had been to the Shadow Shard and Cimerora. Science-fiction and time travel be damned.
Still, staring at the Pillar of Ice and Flame caused a little nausea within Scarlet. She remembered her dreams that have haunted her the past month; each more terrifying the last. First, Mark Vargis' death, then the twisted smoldering pile of children. Patrollers gruesomely killed one by one, including her own death. Scarlet shook her head as if to shake the memories of the dreams out of her mind. Mender Silos of Ouroboros told her that a mistake was made in her past. Something or someone she overlooked or forgot. Maybe she missed that one pivotal moment that led her to her current path. She would have to travel back in time in an attempt to find that moment, person or thing to change her future ... or her present.
She gulped loud enough to embarrass herself. It was a daunting task. And what of the Fates? Didn't They have a hand in all of her life all along? Wasn't it They who gave her the memories of the First Age? Where were They now? How is it that the Truth is somehow different because of Ouroboros?
Mender Silos instructed she could not bring the Zenith Fangs for they are a part of her present. As they did not exist in the time stream she needs to start at, they would cease to exist once she passed though the crystal. It made sense and not at all at the same time.
She activated the aegis systems to allow one person and, feigning fearlessness, she passed the inner perimeter and stood close enough to feel the crystal's cold and heat. Scarlet closed her eye to the light that surrounded her ...
----
Opening her eye, she was greeted with a familiar sight. Quickly breathing in the musty, dank yet familiar odors, Scarlet welcomed the sight of Eastgate. She smiled and looked around. The only person in sight was in the uniform of the Paragon Police Department. Then other sounds: gunfire. The PPD were defending this part of the city, Cherry Hills, from the Trolls and Outcasts gangs.
Looking at herself she was dressed in her off-duty costume and was a little surprised. She expected to still be wearing her uniform. No, Scarlet thought. I joined the Patrol after my time here. Suddenly, she was overcome with a feeling like some mental or physical burden was upon her. Something she could not put her finger on. Something was different about her. She did not remember feeling this way when she first entered Eastgate. Scarlet touched her throat. It felt different. She was not as strong as she was ... or is. Panic started to creep in and she willed herself to fly ... but couldn't! She could almost remember how she learned to fly but it would not happen.
The Scarlet Scorpion suddenly felt very alone and vulnerable ... and she knew it. Checking her Dawn Patrol communicator provided relief as it was still open, active and traffic was registering. She could communicate with her present in real time.
She closed her eye and focused. What was it that Mender Silos told her ...
Once you have achieved whatever goal was needed in the past, you will immediately return to your present. You may be trapped to relive your past. There is a way to return to your present, but you will continue to be haunted by your dreams until you straighten the twisted threads of your fate.
She reached into her belt and found the miniature crystal, one similar to the Pillar. This was her ticket home. Yet, she must not fail. She can't live with her dreams any longer, not like the ones from the First Age. Composing herself, the Scarlet Scorpion casually waked up to the officer, and greeted him.
"Hello, I'm Officer Wincott. So you're Scarlet Scorpion, huh? I hope you're as good as your reputation. These Trolls are vicious, but, with your help, I hope to take them out."
"It was just a dream. It was just a dream," she whispered heavily to herself.
A small cat’s meow was at the edge of the bed. Scarlet looked suddenly and the little animal almost fled from her gaze. "Aw, Hector. No need to fear. I was just having a nightmare." With that, Hector licked his chops and cautiously approached Scarlet. As the feline walked between her legs, Scarlet stretched and pulled at her long t-shirt to remove the clothing. She threw it on the floor and scooped up Hector to bring him closer. He meowed in protest but did not fight her and Scarlet snuggled the little cat to her chin and neck. Hector purred and pushed against her with his head, a sign of affection.
"I need to figure out why these dreams are affecting me like this."
Hector continued to purr against her drying skin.
----
"Are you serious? There has to be another way." Scarlet's arms were crossed in front and she stared down at Capt. Cymru defiantly.
Cymru just stared up at her from his desk in Dawn Patrol Headquarters. "No ma'am. This is it. It's not that bad. Domgeorm and I have done it dozens of times. It does get a little used to, I'll admit. But from what I know, your symptoms are not rare. Odd, but not rare. I can set up the way to get there. After that you're on your own." Cymru looked out the window and cleared his throat. "Well that's not true. A team can do it at once. But no one can leave until the time stream is fixed. So to speak."
Scarlet considered his answer for a moment and turned on her heels to leave. Halfway in the spin she stopped and looked back at Taffy. "And you don’t know why the dreams have started?"
Taffy shook his head solemnly. "No ma'am. Ouroboros is your only solution."
----
Scarlet faced the Pillar of Ice and Flame. Tucked away in the corner, its paradoxical existence did not fit well in the Dawn Patrol base and always made Scarlet uneasy. It was placed by Xaddak months before and Scarlet avoided it and anything to do with it … until now. The ease to let another Patroller 'handle it' was all Scarlet needed. She had read the reports from Cymru and Domgeorm concerning its use. It's not natural, she thought to herself, hen smirked at the observation as the flame flickered inside the ice crystal, challenging reality.
Surrounding the large crystal were the security columns. Before that were the Olympium-infused, temporal-resistant walls guarding the room itself. These measures were untested, but Xaddak is a thorough scientist and expressed confidence that the dual aegis systems were enough to protect the headquarters in the event of a temporal accident. It was the stuff of science-fiction to Scarlet, but then again, she had been to the Shadow Shard and Cimerora. Science-fiction and time travel be damned.
Still, staring at the Pillar of Ice and Flame caused a little nausea within Scarlet. She remembered her dreams that have haunted her the past month; each more terrifying the last. First, Mark Vargis' death, then the twisted smoldering pile of children. Patrollers gruesomely killed one by one, including her own death. Scarlet shook her head as if to shake the memories of the dreams out of her mind. Mender Silos of Ouroboros told her that a mistake was made in her past. Something or someone she overlooked or forgot. Maybe she missed that one pivotal moment that led her to her current path. She would have to travel back in time in an attempt to find that moment, person or thing to change her future ... or her present.
She gulped loud enough to embarrass herself. It was a daunting task. And what of the Fates? Didn't They have a hand in all of her life all along? Wasn't it They who gave her the memories of the First Age? Where were They now? How is it that the Truth is somehow different because of Ouroboros?
Mender Silos instructed she could not bring the Zenith Fangs for they are a part of her present. As they did not exist in the time stream she needs to start at, they would cease to exist once she passed though the crystal. It made sense and not at all at the same time.
She activated the aegis systems to allow one person and, feigning fearlessness, she passed the inner perimeter and stood close enough to feel the crystal's cold and heat. Scarlet closed her eye to the light that surrounded her ...
----
Opening her eye, she was greeted with a familiar sight. Quickly breathing in the musty, dank yet familiar odors, Scarlet welcomed the sight of Eastgate. She smiled and looked around. The only person in sight was in the uniform of the Paragon Police Department. Then other sounds: gunfire. The PPD were defending this part of the city, Cherry Hills, from the Trolls and Outcasts gangs.
Looking at herself she was dressed in her off-duty costume and was a little surprised. She expected to still be wearing her uniform. No, Scarlet thought. I joined the Patrol after my time here. Suddenly, she was overcome with a feeling like some mental or physical burden was upon her. Something she could not put her finger on. Something was different about her. She did not remember feeling this way when she first entered Eastgate. Scarlet touched her throat. It felt different. She was not as strong as she was ... or is. Panic started to creep in and she willed herself to fly ... but couldn't! She could almost remember how she learned to fly but it would not happen.
The Scarlet Scorpion suddenly felt very alone and vulnerable ... and she knew it. Checking her Dawn Patrol communicator provided relief as it was still open, active and traffic was registering. She could communicate with her present in real time.
She closed her eye and focused. What was it that Mender Silos told her ...
Once you have achieved whatever goal was needed in the past, you will immediately return to your present. You may be trapped to relive your past. There is a way to return to your present, but you will continue to be haunted by your dreams until you straighten the twisted threads of your fate.
She reached into her belt and found the miniature crystal, one similar to the Pillar. This was her ticket home. Yet, she must not fail. She can't live with her dreams any longer, not like the ones from the First Age. Composing herself, the Scarlet Scorpion casually waked up to the officer, and greeted him.
"Hello, I'm Officer Wincott. So you're Scarlet Scorpion, huh? I hope you're as good as your reputation. These Trolls are vicious, but, with your help, I hope to take them out."
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