Origins

One Month Later

Kathryn was about to bite into the slab of Chess Cake she just finished baking. The loft smelled like the food in front of her and she thoroughly planned to enjoy every bite. The bruise on her cheek protested her stretching jaw but Kathryn suppressed the pain. It was all about the cake!

Then her cell-phone rang as her teeth touched the soft delicacy. The beep was specially chosen to represent Nikki Johanson. She didn’t call unless it was important. Kathryn stopped short of quickly stuffing the desert and answering with a muffled snort. That wasn’t very professional.

She sighed on the second ring and set the plate and fork down. Reaching for the device, the third ring almost seemed impatient. She flicked it open with one hand and jerked her hair away from her face. “Scarlet.”

“We have a problem. Get to the station. And I mean five minutes ago.”

Kathryn looked at the confection somberly before replying. “On my way.” The line was abruptly disconnected. She stuffed the piece in her mouth anyway and savored the sweet taste as she changed into her costume.

It was a simple suit and something she put together herself. She didn’t want it to be flashy like Statesman or menacing like Barricade. She undressed from her jeans and bra and replaced them with a sport supporter and torso suit. The suit was a single dark orange piece that looked more like a one-piece bathing suit than a hero costume. The tactical visor was something she picked up from the black market and was a marvel of technology from her perspective; its white visor was a stark contrast to her hair and was opaque to anyone looking at her.  The scars kept from behind it but it also hid the fact she was blind in one eye.  She pulled her thick bright red hair from under a black jacket and teased it to be presentable. Two dark khaki, metal-studded gloves were pulled tight, followed by over-the-knee black leather stiletto-heeled boots. Finally, a red belt ringed her waist.

She gave herself a last look in the mirror and made final adjustments, tugging and pulling here and there. She nodded and gave the mirror a thumbs up then briskly moved to the elevator.
----

Johanson looked up from the paperwork and photos with only her eyes as the Scarlet Scorpion entered her office and glided into a well-worn leather chair. Nikki Johanson made a circle in red ink on a photo and passed it to Kathryn.

“Sorry to be abrupt, even rude, but this just came to my office and so it had to come to you. Our Ramparts Division stumbled upon a scene reminiscent of Soviet-era POW camps in a warehouse downtown. The figure I circled was caught by security cameras in the district.” Kathryn finally looked at the blurry photo. Most of the person was behind some scenery and the quality of the photo was very poor. It was a close-up of a larger photo. Kathryn shook her head.

“I didn’t think you would recognize her.”

“Her? Now Kathryn was interested. Her targets had always been male and Kathryn regarded that as status quo.

“Yes. This one is a serious sicko. Homeland Security has classified the type of carnage at the scene as a “super-powered crime”.

“Homeland Security … wow, that is surprising.” Kathryn was also impressed and it showed on her face. “What’s the ceiling on this one?”

“Down to basics, eh Scar? Alright, seven figures. It is absolutely essential this one be brought in.”

Kathryn smirked. “Am I covered by the Damage Plan?”

Johanson sat back in her chair and rested her arms as if exhausted but never removed her stare from the Scarlet Scorpion. “More than that.” She pulled a small envelope from her vest and tossed it casually to Kathryn who grabbed it by stopping its flight in mid-air and resting it into her palm. If it weren’t for the buzz of the office outside, Johanson would have heard Kathryn humming a note.

The contents were spilled into her hand. The only item was a hard laminated card and Kathryn’s eye almost popped out its socket.

Johanson smiled. “I know. Who would have thought the government actually issues License to Kill documents. That is just in case the situation absolutely warrants its use. You will need some protection if you have to go as far as killing this bitch to keep her from doing what she did to those people in the warehouse again. Keep in mind: bring her in breathing if you can. If you can’t, then it had better be for a damn good reason.”

Kathryn was still stunned. Her career as a super-powered bounty hunter just turned surreal. “Who is this villain?!”

“She goes by the moniker, ‘Nyxen’.

Origins

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Origins

Later that day

Kathryn closed the loft elevator with one hand. She pulled the tactical visor from her face with the other while teasing her long hair to let her neck receive some cool air. Kathryn crossed into a darkened area of the loft and ducked under a pipe she could not see; its location memorized after several bumps to her forehead.

She turned a corner and in the dim candlelight was her teacher, Grand Battler Daikar, meditating. He had spent more and more time doing that and less training. But she knew her power levels were increasing without his guidance. GB, as she called him, was more like a roommate than a tutor lately. 

She stopped short of the light’s aura. “GB, do you have a minute?”

He simply motioned for Kathryn to have a seat on the mat opposite him. Quietly she took her seat in the practiced manner she was accustomed to and waited. Once the Grand Battler opened his eyes to look into hers the silence was broken.

“You want to know the next step?”

Kathryn nodded. She had gotten used to his style of oriental-like Master-Pupil discussions and relationship. Daikar always had answers to everything. 

He breathed in deeply. “Have you met your enemy?”

Kathryn blinked. “My enemy? Anyone who commits a crime is my enemy. Anyone who is unjust is my enemy. Anyone who abuses the law is my enemy.” She was proud of that answer. It sounded a little cheesy and scripted, but there was no better way to say it.

Daikar smirked and Kathryn knew she gave the wrong answer. She responded with a frown, her pride replaced with embarrassment.

“I meant your nemesis, your opposite. The one person you will need that pushes you to keep going.”

“What? Is not crime-fighting justifiable enough?”

“No. Crime is never-ending. You asked yourself, ‘when will it end?’ It doesn’t. At some point you will surrender to that fact. You will begin to let certain transgressions go. Some events will have more ‘value’ than others. Standards will change. Eventually you will be faced with a choice. That choice will have consequences that could not be foreseen. You will be desperate to fix it in your mind but fail. In your despair you will find a way to justify your decision. Ultimately, you will blame the one person who forced you into the doomed cage and you will hate them with a passion. They will be your new motivation. Your new standards of justice will define you just as their evil defines them.”

There was a silence of understanding between the two.

“Then I have not met my enemy,” Kathryn said reluctantly.

Daikar frowned. “But you are ready. There is nothing more I can teach you after this.”

He stood and walked to the kitchen and turned on the lights. Kathryn squinted from the sudden light. When her eye adjusted she heard the jingle of keys.  Instinctively, she raised her hand and caught the keys that were thrown to her. Kathryn looked at them then to Daikar.

“It’s time for me to move on, to find another like you. I will tell you where I am going but you must promise me not to follow until you have defeated your enemy.”

She suddenly felt very warn as she realized Daikar was planning to leave. She had to be defiant against the realization yet privately remained hopeful. “Why would I follow you?” She immediately wished she said something else.

Daikar moved to the lockers that served as his closet and grabbed a duffle bag stuffed full. “Oh, you’ll find your way because the Fates will it. Everything is as it should be. I have seen the time when you will rise triumphant and in your glory the Gods will smile down on you.”

Kathryn’s sadness turned to anger and she stood to face Daikar whose back was to her. “Don’t give me that crap. What is really going on here?”

Daikar sighed and turned to Kathryn. “I am going to Paragon City. My enemy is there and I seek to defeat him. The Gods have instructed me to be a guide so that others of their Chosen will not suffer as I have. So you are going to do things differently from what I have done.” His face was stern and unrelenting. 

Kathryn recognized that look as the final word. She counted to herself and started to relax. She bowed to him and let a tear fall to the ground. Slowly she rose to look at Grand Battler Daikar from across the loft. “Once I arrive in Paragon … can I look for you?”

“Of course. I love you.”

Daikar turned on his heels, opened and closed the elevator doors … and was gone. The hard whine of the motor above the roof filled the room. Kathryn Beringer, The Scarlet Scorpion, stood in the dark, stunned.

Origins

1 month later

The man's fist landed flat on her forehead as she leaned into the punch. It hurt but not as bad as it could have been. The well-dressed attacker pulled back for a second attempt but didn’t get the chance. Even struggling with her arms held by two other brawly men, Kathryn was able to defend herself. She coiled a long leg between her attacker’s legs and pulled back, the effect having pulled a leg from under him. He thudded to the floor which gave The Scarlet Scorpion the second she needed to deal with the other two on her arms.

With a verbal heave she lifted her captors and launched them forward and away, the look of surprise on their faces as they sailed from the alleyway into the street. One crashed into a parking meter, exploding it’s riches to the pavement. The other wrapped himself around a streetlight. There were screams of surprise and horror mixed with falling coins from the street.

Kathryn looked down at the recovering businessman and kicked him hard in the chest. She heard a distinctive snap before he was sent up and away from her. He landed with a “plop” and Kathryn ran forward. He was cowering from her as she grabbed his collar and dragged him to the street where a crowd was forming around the other two. As she appeared in the light Kathryn underhand threw the man like a heavy garbage bag toward his friends. The crowd parted slightly at the sight and he landed hard against his friends.

She pounced on him. Grabbing his collar again, she lifted him against the streetlight with her elbows grinding broken rib bones. He winced in pain and Kathryn calculated the fight was out of him.

“I am The Scarlet Scorpion. Tell your friends. I’ll be watching all of you.”

The man looked at her with trembling lips but seemed to regain his composure through the pain. “The Family will know and never forget. Consider yourself dead.” He gathered a wad of saliva in his mouth and Kathryn threw him to the ground before he could spit.

“Typical”, she muttered and put a leather boot over his mouth.

Origins

4 months later

“Some things don’t change,” Kathryn sighed as she looked at the familiar 1980’s-era architecture of the North Las Vegas Police Department. She puffed her breath in resignation which pushed a flock of hair to the side and strode toward the front doors. People on both sides of the street paused to watch her walk across the five lane road. Kathryn ignored all of them and nervously pulled on her dark khaki gloves as she reached the other side of the street.

She entered the main entrance and relished the air conditioned environment then took note that the noise level dropped considerably. Kathryn looked around the lobby and every eye was on her, from punk to parent to officer. She invisibly cleared her throat and strode confidently to the main reception window. The young officer gulped as she walked up to him, then weakly said, “How may I help you?”

She placed both arms on the shelf and shifted her weight to one leg.  “Thank you, I’d like to see someone in the Crime Stoppers Bureau.” She tapped her booted foot lightly. Kathryn attempted to keep her eye focused on the officer as she spoke. Her sense of authority was growing and it helped that she was looking down at him even though he was standing behind the desk.  Trying not to be conspicuous, Kathryn left her tactical visor in her jacket, but she still wore her simple costume.  Kathryn may as well have been wearing the visor from the looks of everyone in the room.

“Um … what’s your name ma’am?”

“A concerned citizen. If you would humor me and direct me to the Bureau offices, I’m sure I can handle myself.” She started to tap her fingernails on the window shelf. The officer looked down and shuffled some papers at his desk nervously.

“I’m sorry ma’am. If you will have a seat, someone will be with you in a moment.”

“I’ll stand if you don’t mind.”

He nodded and picked up the phone. Kathryn turned and faced the lobby. The younger part of the crowd simply stared while the older crowd looked away.

A few moments later, a female officer with her blonde hair pulled back in a pony-tail appeared. She was middle-aged and athletic but the wrinkles around her eyes and lips projected experience and a ‘no-nonsense’ attitude. The bars on her collar meant she was high-ranking. Only a few inches shorter than Kathryn, yet she seethed with authority. She walked up to Kathryn as if she had seen someone like her before and extended her hand. “Lieutenant Nikki Johanson. I hear a superhero wants to see me?”

A little surprised Kathryn paused before accepting the gesture and returned a firm handshake. “More like a concerned citizen.”

The officer looked at Kathryn from the feet up before responding.  “Of course. Follow me.” Nikki turned on her heels, opened the door to the back offices.  Briefly stunned, Kathryn quickly matched Nikki’s pace behind her.

As they entered Nikki’s office, Kathryn was impressed with the awards and diplomas that littered the wall to the side. She noted how Nikki was humble enough to not have them crowd the wall behind the desk.  By being hidden until someone entered the room, the guest was trapped into a false sense that Nikki Johanson, rank notwithstanding, was not as accomplished as she looked.  She motioned for Kathryn to sit and took her own seat. “So, what is a concerned citizen like you doing here? It’s rare for someone with 'super-powers' to seek out the police. It’s rarer for one to look for a specific office if nothing has happened.”

Kathryn shuffled in her seat from the social attack but kept staring at Nikki. “The police can’t be everywhere. I am offering my abilities as an extra pair of eyes, so to speak.” She pointed to her eye patch.

“You can’t be everywhere either.”

“True, but I can also handle more than … most people.” Kathryn had to choose her words carefully.

Nikki leaned back and steepled her fingers in thought. After a few seconds, “Why do you want to help the police if you can do super-things on your own?”

“It’s better than vigilantism.” Kathryn knew she was on the defensive but she felt restless just waiting to be at the right place at the right time. Depending on luck was never her style. She needed to be proactive. If she was gifted with her sonic powers, increased strength and resilience then it is being wasted while waiting for chance or fate.

A few more seconds, “Alright, what compensation are you considering?”

“The law is already on my side, I just don’t want a badge for it. Honestly, I don’t want to sound greedy, but I was hoping I could look at your bounty files and go from there. I think the reward and the satisfaction of arresting a criminal is compensation enough.”

One of Nikki’s eyebrows perked. “Bounty Hunter?”

Kathryn’s good eyebrow rose at the retort. “There are things I can do that makes the job a little easier.”

A smile crawled along Nikki's rich lips revealing the wrinkles clearly. “Mind if I get a demonstration?”

Kathryn sat forward and clapped her hands. The slap of the gloves was louder than Nikki expected and she twitched in surprise. Kathryn slowly separated her hands and a swirling ball of air, like a gyroscope, grew between her hands. She slowly carried the swirling air close to the desk and items started to vibrate the closer she got. Lt. Johanson’s name plate danced away from Kathryn and the pencil holder rattled until it tipped over. She brought her hands together and the desk items became still. “I can manipulate sound waves. Imagine a man’s bones vibrate to the point where he cannot move. Or imagine them shattering from the inside out.”

“The Citizen Crime Fighting Act prevents you from doing harm.”

“Unless necessary as a means of self defense,” Kathryn shot back.

Lieutenant Nikki Johanson looked at her desk and nodded. “Alright. You have a chance. Captain Indomitable walked through those same doors 15 years ago and now he’s famous. Have not heard from him since he moved to Paragon, come to think of it.” She opened a drawer, pulled out a file, then walked around her desk and handed it to Kathryn. “Regardless, I don’t recall seeing you around. What is your 'name'?

Kathryn removed her eye patch, pulled out her tactical visor and clipped it in place, then looked up to Nikki and smirked.  “The Scarlet Scorpion. But you can call me Scarlet.”

Origins

2 weeks later

Kathryn was nervous. She had not been in school for several years but she remembered the twisting feeling in her gut about walking into a classroom and seeing so many unfamiliar faces. But this is the University of Las Vegas and she knew the campus well from when she attended.

That was forever ago. Still, she was confident she would not be the oldest student in the room.

Walking down the halls of the Boyd School of Law she could feel the stares of the students she walked past. Inwardly she smirked but she kept a stoic visage and concentrated on the classroom door at the end of the hall. She knew why: it was the eye patch and scars that crept from underneath.

There was something else that caught the student’s attention … she was still very beautiful. Her naturally scarlet red hair bounced with each step and each strand seemed destined to its place on her head. Her make-up was flawless with the most prominent feature, her lips, a delicate match to her hair. Kathryn was also tall in comparison to the average woman: she was easy to find in a crowd. Her black buttoned-up collar shirt was slightly taught around her chest and was tucked under her form fitting jeans. The black boots Kathryn wore clicked on the tiled floor and signaled her presence, each step was purposeful and dominating.

For a few students, Kathryn would glance their way and give a sideways smirk. If she looked at a young man he quickly turned his head as if looking at her would steal his soul. Or maybe he was afraid of having Kathryn know he was staring?

Kathryn entered the classroom and paused briefly to look at her classmates … she was the oldest person in the room. Her stride resumed and she found a seat in the front row. Kathryn ignored that every eye, male and female, watched her as she glided into the seat.

The professor entered in a hurry and threw his leather briefcase on the long table in front of the white board. It landed with a heavy thud and skidded to a halt short of the opposite edge. He was a middle-aged man with evenly short hair, thin-rimmed glasses and a Musketeer mustache.

“I am Professor Tannus. You will call me Sir or Doctor, nothing else. Expect to be ignored otherwise.” He walked to the board and grabbed a black pen.  Tannus wrote the word “Hero” on the board and spun back on his heels to face the hushed classroom.

His gaze landed on Kathryn and said, “What does being a hero mean to the law?”

Immediately Kathryn responded, “To be above the law.” She was smooth speaking and confident when she said it.

The teacher smiled wide and capped the pen deliberately. “Interesting point of view. Since it is the first day I will suggest that by the end of the semester you will need to prove that.” He turned to the class. “Welcome to Using the Law to Live. Otherwise known as CJ4402. If you are in the wrong room then too bad, you chose to be here and your mistake will now cost you one hour of your time.”

Kathryn’s good eyebrow shot up.

He continued, “In this class you will learn some of the intricacies of American law and how it will pertain to your future existence. Specifically, traffic violations, property rights, civic responsibility and other … more creative … ways to look at the current legal system. And, for those who care, where today’s so-called ‘Heroes and Villains’ fit within the law.”

Kathryn sighed quietly. She didn't want to go back to school, but she could hear Daikar words:

An education is the strongest power a person can have. You must not only be strong in body, but in mind. Knowledge is True power. You must own such power for yourself. I can teach you to fight, but an education will give you everything else.

Origins

Kathryn rubbed her temple as the headache started to bite at her skull. The lit candles in the room were bright enough to cast fuzzy shadows upon the walls. Their glow was deceptively warm. Daikar’s simple yet cryptic discussions always mentally wore her out quick. But just now, he was not being coy. She knew Daikar was making sense but she was having a hard time making sense of what he was saying.

Did that make sense?

“Ok, hold on … what?” It wasn’t that Daikar said something ridiculous. He never says anything like that. But what he said surprised her more than anything else he has said in the past.

Daikar sat motionless and closed his eyes as he spoke, “I know it is a difficult idea to believe, even accept. Clearly you need to see proof of what I say. Then you will see for yourself the responsibility you must accept.”

“How can I choose if I must accept it?” Things are getting complicated.

Daikar sighed and sternly said, “Kathy, when I say you must choose it, it is because, once you have seen what I have seen, you would be a grand fool not to accept. There is no paradox. The power of the Truth is so convincing that to reject it is to reject the very existence of yourself. But I have seen such things; it is also my Faith because I believe what I saw with my own eyes. The choice then, ultimately, is do you want to see the Truth and live a life filled with meaning and with powers you were specially chosen to wield, guarded with the knowledge that there is a purpose to everything in the world? Or live your life in the bliss of ignorance, with powers you did not ask for, that can kill with a simple whisper?”

That was like a javelin piercing an apple.  They had danced around this discussion before but Daikar was more serious than ever. His words were heavy and the very air between them seemed charged with some ethereal power. Daikar had an aura of command as he sat there with his eyes closed. It was magnetic and repelling at the same time. Kathryn was frozen as she struggled with the weight of the situation.

She became ashamed at the silence between them and looked away as if she were being banished from the world. Quietly, she said, “What have you seen?”

She could feel Daikar lean in. “Exaclty what is described of the gods. It is all real Kathy. There is a Truth, and it is my duty to show it to you but only when you are ready and sincerely willing.” The mat creaked as his weight shifted.

Kathryn looked up, watching Daikar. Seconds seemed like minutes as she weighed the situation in her mind.  She knew she could live a reasonably normal life. There would be nothing to stop her once she was finished with her training except for her own convictions of honor and justice, fairness and equality. But then … there was purpose. Daikar was instilling a sense of propriety with her new abilities. Kathryn could become one of the many heroes of the world. She could also become one of the villains spoken of in whispers and tales to frighten little children to be “good”.

Kathryn used to believe in the simplicity of life. Her acquisition of wealth meant she could have what she wanted, when she wanted. She knew how to love and live for herself with a sense of satisfaction from her actions. People obeyed her commands and buckled at the knees to her demands. She was like a god with followers worshiping her intimate abilities. But all that was taken away and she had to start over.

This time she started over with more power … true power; the kind of power that makes a difference through direct action. Action. She couldn’t take Daikar’s words at face value. No matter how much she trusted him. She would need to see for herself.

“How can I see what you have seen?”

Daikar smirked. “There is a portal to Olympus. That gateway is in Paragon City.”

Kathryn’s jaw dropped. Paragon City. The City of Heroes. Paragon City was home to the largest gathering of heroes on the planet and not for just a few of the more famous ones like Statesman and Ms. Liberty. Her childhood favorite, Captain Indomitable, resided there. Paragon City was also a hotbed of true villainy. The news was always talking about such groups like Hellions, Council, and the infamous Arachnos to name a few. A chill ran down her spine.  All were terrorists to varying degrees but some have intentions to rule the world.  The Rikti Invasion brought out scores more heroes and villains.

Then something dawned on her and the realization was a thunderclap in her mind. “How could the portal to Olympus not be in the news? If the ancient Greek gods really do exist then that would change the face of Earth!” Kathryn was almost spitting as she spoke.

Daikar’s smirk didn’t drop. “You are realizing the gravity of the Truth, Kathy.  It is ironic that belief is more powerful than fact.  The portal is guarded by a secret society shrouded in the guise of a super group.  There are many, like me, that has seen the Olympians and some are champions to the Gods.  But, to the world, they are simply fanatical to a cause; using the Gods to justify good and evil actions.”

“So, you are asking me to go to Paragon City and open a door to Olympus just so that I can believe it exists?!”

“In a nutshell … yes.”

Kathryn’s muscles were tense as she carried the new weight the discussion. She visually shook it off and enthusiastically said, “Let’s go now!”

“No, your training is not finished.”

“What?! How much longer do I have?”

Daikar shrugged nonchalantly.  “You’ve just started.”

Kathryn Beringer was stunned silent. Grand Battler Daikar stood and walked away toward his room. He deftly shut the door, leaving Kathryn in the mute gloam of the candles.