The Calm Namie and Shalis didn't know where, but they were going. In the midst of the murky trouble everyone knew they were getting into, that man in white, whom they now devoted themselves to, came to them personally and gave them instruction to follow him. Since Shalis served him for the sake of Namie, and vice versa, they went along without any dispute, the younger of the two helping her love walk. Out of everyone else, these two were still new to the layout of the MERCS building, so they didn't know where they were going—but even Dr. Kamaguchi had never seen this part before. Thirteen, one name among many, led them to a small, nondescript antechamber with a door on each side (not counting the one they came through). The walls were dull gray, and were made of large blocks of concrete, not plaster, which was what MERCS was mostly constructed from. Only Shalis took notice of this small detail; Namie just chewed her lip, wondering what was about to happen. "Shalis Torth," said the man in white, "please step through the door on the left. Inside you will find a bed. You must rest in this bed. Namie Chizuka, please step through the door on the right. Inside you will find a pool. You must immerse yourself in this pool." "All the way?" "Correct," he said. "When you both emerge from your tombs of sleep and water, you will have your reward that I promised you." "So does this mean we're out of your service?" asked Shalis. Thirteen gave her a chilling smile. "Far from it, my dear! The two of you may yet prove ten times more valuable when the fighting starts. But you have done so much, and it would be unkind of me to not reward you. I think everyone that once worked under me has found her reward, and so you will be the last. Please." He ushered them inside, and sure enough, the women found their bed and their pool. They didn't know what was going to happen, but the love they had for each other enabled them to trust Mr. White, so Shalis rested on the bed and Namie immersed herself in the pool. Darkness consumed them both. ...... Few people had even noticed the absence of Father Jacob Pochanski, but when his voice came over the PA system telling everyone to meet him in the main chamber, they were surprised. It just occurred to them that, on and off, he had been away, most likely researching something or else causing some helpful mischief elsewhere. The Battle Divas asked him where he had been all this time when they gathered together, but he just gave them a nod and said, "Working". When everyone was finally gathered, he didn't ask them to explain the situation—as a matter of fact, he seemed to know it well, though nobody could guess how. Probably picked it up outside somewhere... "It is a most distressing situation," he said gravely, clutching the arms of his chair. "I was unaware of the specifics involved, but I did know that a great evil force was amassing. I just didn't think it would be so large in scope. I thought that the destruction of Omega would cause his cult to wither, but in this I was wrong. Well...it makes little difference," he added softly. "The fact of the matter is that we have an enemy to face, and even with everyone here working at their full potential, there is no way we can stop it." "So what do you propose?" asked Kris. Pochanski drew in a deep, weary breath. "Something that I did not want to use unless the need was very great. Of course, given the circumstances, I'd say that time is now, but even then..." "What? What is it?" A clear sparkle came to his eyes, and those sitting very close to him could actually see his skin crawling and his hair standing on end. Clearly this was something very dire, or he wouldn't have paused for the effect. "The Summoning," he whispered. Nobody knew what this was, of course, so he explained. "Basically, this is an old all-points bulletin that goes out to every person around the world that bears special powers. Think of it as a massive signal to guide them to a single point. With the whole world of heroes at our side, our victory is to be assured, but clearly this cannot be activated by one person alone. It must be undergone by six." "Wait—are you going where I think you're going with this?" said Stevenson, looking as if Pochanski had turned into someone else before his eyes. The middle-aged priest looked over and nodded. "So you know about the Savage Six?" "There are few that don't," murmured the younger man in awe. He looked around, and was aware that unfortunately, "few" in this case meant "many". "Wait—are you guys telling me you've never heard of the famous Savage Six?" To his dismay, nearly everybody nodded their heads. "Man, am I on the right planet?" he muttered. "Mr. Pochanski, maybe you better explain it. These people are hopeless." Jacob gave the young man a fractioned smile, and regaled the story. "Well, we're pressed for time, so I'll give you the short version. The Savage Six was once a great team of talented individuals, one from each of the world's six habitable continents. Their work ensured that the world would be safe and peaceful for many years, but now it seems they will be needed again. I was one of their number." "You were one of the Savage Six?!" blurted Stevenson, giddy as a child. Pochanski laughed. "Yes, a long, long time ago; I was the only one without 'true' superpowers, but my skills so impressed the others that they allowed me to join their ranks. If luck is with us, the remaining five are still living and remember how to activate their part of the Summoning. You see, it was entrusted to the Savage Six because at the very end of our career, when all other evils had been quashed, our bravery finally defeated the greatest foe this planet has ever seen. I have no doubt," he whispered darkly, "that if what Malchior and Kissa intend to do is realized, he will certainly rise again, and with them and this new army, will envelope the world in unstoppable darkness." "Who is this guy?" asked Rin. Even Pochanski shuddered at the mere thought of it. "He was called Anvil, but had many more names, some I dare not utter here. If we are to have any hope of stopping this, with or without the aid of that terrible monster, I must act fast. Stevenson," he said, looking at the younger man, "would you and Xianq like to bear witness to what I must do?" "Would I!" he exclaimed, and nearly bowled the older man over as he jumped up and followed him out of the meeting room, Xianq Shou in tow. The others watched, and exchanged looks with each other once they were alone. They didn't know who the Savage Six or Anvil was, but they certainly hoped that one force would prevail over the other. "In the meantime," said Haanz Glucklig, "we should prepare ourselves for this war. I noticed this facility has several training rooms, so I'll go and make the most of them. We also need to draw up plans for the actual attack. Ladies." He got out of his chair and wandered off; the others thought this was a very good idea, and each went off to do their own thing. Stevenson and Xianq followed Jacob outside, and kept walking until the MERCS facility (now nearly completely renovated) was well behind them. They were both interested with what was going to happen, but for the first time ever, Steve was actually more excited and hyper about things than his girlfriend. He was the superhero aficionado after all, and had read and researched deeply into the topic well before donning his uniform and powers. Xianq would soon be too absorbed with her mentor's activities to take notice of her boyfriend; Pochanski was holding his arm up into the sky. A bright blue flare shot up from his hand, and exploded in a gigantic hexagonal shape that lit up the sky for an hour. "With any luck," said Pochanski, "Lady Wonder will be watching the skies. If she sees my signal—there!" Stevenson and now even Xianq watched in silent awe as, in the very far distance, a corresponding hexagon shot up into the air, just barely visible. This one was colored orange. "So!" exclaimed the priest, "It has begun! The Summoning will commence very soon. Every specially-gifted individual in the area will see these signals, and will know to converge at a single spot. They won't have a choice; it's in their blood. Superheroes unite as hope spreads once again..." Even as he spoke, four other signals shot up into the sky, each one colored differently. As the flares erupted, many more were fired up to accompany them, usually by those loyal and loving to the Savage Six—those who truly fought for the good of all. On every continent, from the skies themselves to the depths of canyons and valleys—even underneath the crusty earth—those who bore superhuman powers saw the signals and knew what they signified. All who saw them spread the word to their fellows, and soon, like a blessed plague, word spread and people started to gather. They flocked to the Savage Six, the ones who had erected the flares, and they in turn followed the original flare, to their friend and comrade Pochanski, the Priest himself. Very soon now, the battle of all times and ages would begin... ............ Stevenson and Xianq returned to a building full of people training and making the most of their time. Everyone was doing something to increase her skill: many held sparring sessions with each other, or ran through obstacle and training courses, or suffered through a gravity field several times greater than normal, thanks to Sally. Those who fought with weapons had them out, shining and clashing; those who took to speed and agility were running around (and sometimes over) the building. Even Alisti, who was still trying to adjust to her new body, was running laps with Skye right next to her. It was definitely a sight, and Steve and Xianq joined in without hesitation. The only ones absent were Shalis and Namie (Pale didn't necessarily count), and Lyn of course, but nobody seemed to mind her absence. The whole building became abuzz with activity, and to describe all of it would've been futile. It only paused a moment when two strange, yet somehow familiar people walked in to interrupt everything. They looked like Namie and Shalis, but...something was different. The one who resembled Namie clearly wasn't wearing a body suit of any kind, yet she was walking around, barefoot, smiling shyly as her naked hand held that of the other woman. If this was odd, then Shalis' appearance—for they were both really Namie and Shalis—was downright unusual. Gone were the mechanical apparatuses—the plating on her chest and the holographic constructs on her shoulders—and the hideous scars on her throat and eyes were no more as well. The strangest thing of all was her balance: she no longer walked like one who was wobbling this way or that, but had a straight, firm gait, like any woman would have if she had her arms to center herself. Which of course Shalis did—two fleshy, long, pale-pink arms, as real as anyone else's, one of them casually holding the bare hand and fingers of Namie Chizuka. This got some stares. "Look so different," remarked Julie in awe. "Namie not wearing her outfit, walking around with no shoes. And Shalis has arms." "Yeah," agreed Marissa. "What's up with that?" The two women looked at each other in dismay. "Shalis, I'm hurt," Namie crooned. "I figured they'd be much happier for us. Don't you poor fools realize that our curses have been lifted?" "You don't mean..." It took awhile for the whole thing to sink in. Namie no longer had the involuntary acid secretion she had hated for so many years, and Shalis was now as human as any of them, not a scrap of metal or silicon to be found. Most of the team crowded around them, some of them touching Namie or groping Shalis' arms to be sure. They were real, all right, and for a moment everyone was happy. Amielle was never the joyful type, except on rare occasions, so she was the one who had to play the downer. "So does this mean you've lost your powers?" "Not at all," Namie replied. "Well, Shalis' powers are dulled a little, but she still has control over computerized devices. I for one could care less, but it seems I can concentrate my acidic powers to a certain part of my body if I want to. Like this." She reached out for a piece of paper that had been lying around, and for a moment nothing happened. With a little effort from Namie, it disintegrated slowly as Venom's acidic fingers held around it—then just as quickly, it stopped, no longer under its effects. "I can turn it on and off at will," said Namie, who was too excited to do much else. "I...I'm so happy I could burst! Um...I just wanted to come out and say that we've been fixed, so to speak, and we're both very happy about it!" Shalis didn't really say much, but she just wanted to absorb everything in silence. They quickly excused themselves from the rest of the group and darted into the room they shared with Snowblood. Needless to say, everyone knew better than to disturb them for the next few hours. ...... In the days to come, many people took Namie and Shalis' lead, dividing their time between training and "loving". Nobody knew when the war would start, so they all wanted to spend as much time as possible with their loved ones. In that time, Kristen Masterson tried her best explaining just how much she loved Julie, and even though the concept puzzled them both, at least they understood the idea of sweet, erotic intimacy. Marissa and Sanaa also became of one mind and body, although the experience was nowhere near as wonderful as it had been when they were dead. Still, sex was sex. Amielle also declared her love for Alicia, and was careful to stress that it was Alicia she was in love with now, not necessarily Pale. "Oh, that's okay," said miss Moore as they undressed. "We're really one and the same. You love Pale, and you love me. You love me, and you love Pale. I really don't mind sharing you with her—after all, she's just an extension of myself, and she did save my life. I wouldn't have met you without her, so I'm glad she's around." In the end, it was just as well for Amielle; Alicia ended up being just as good in bed as Pale had been, perhaps better in a way. Other people were not so sexual as they were loving. Joyce and Sarah spent most of their time alone in Aura's garden, talking and holding hands, or else being quiet, trying to comfort each other for the deadly days to come. Joyce feared she would be asked to join everybody in the campaign, and though she tried to tell them her powers might not work on the undead, she was probably safer with a large group of people than there at the headquarters, all by herself (both Kamaguchi and Pandora were going to fight as well, leaving a skeleton crew behind to baton down the proverbial hatches). She was still adamant about going, despite Sarah's reassurances. "Come on, Steve!" wailed Xianq Shou for the sixth time. "What's holding you back? The end of the world is nigh; we all know it. Everyone around here's afraid, even Father Jacob. They say we won't have much of a chance. These could be our last moments alive. I don't want to die without feeling...love." "I do love you, Beeg," he said, taking her hands into his. "But I'm not ready for sex, not by a long shot. I'm barely getting over the fact that we're an item. Please, I don't want to rush it—and what if we survive? I know it'd odd to hear me being optimistic, especially at a time like this, but I can't lose hope totally! The Savage Six will be helping us, and more will come with them." "I don't care if the damn army helps us!" she wailed, crying openly. "We're all gonna die! Didn't you hear—they're resurrecting all the dead heroes and enemies of the past! Meaning that...aside from all the bad guys that were killed in the past few years, some really good people will be in that army too. And they're zombies, Steve! How in the hell are we gonna kill zombies??" "We've got Mr. Freak-in-White," he reasoned; "I'm sure he can work something out. The undead aren't human anyway; he can do something." "But what if he doesn't? I don't want to die!" Stevenson knew that the best thing to do at a time like this was to shut up, hold the girl tight, and never let go until she was ready. So he did, and poor Xianq wept until she ran out of tears, and the two kissed until they were too tired to do anything else. And speaking of the "freak in white"... "To what do I owe this pleasure?" he said, facing Skye and the new Alisti. They both flustered a little—his smile was still pretty creepy, and not always encouraging—but they gathered their courage and spoke, or in Skye's case, communicated. "We have a favor to ask of you, sir," said Kreager shakily. "But first, a question. You said when you swapped our bodies that Lust no longer had her powers. Since I'm in her body...does that mean that I don't have them either?" "You have kept your powers," he answered, "and furthermore, you did not inherit hers. But now, yours is a mind cleared of clutter. You walk, talk, and think the way you ought to, and so with that refinement, your skills have improved some. They are more...precise. And it seems to me that a patient friend has seen you through more storms than even I could." That's the reason we're here, actually, Skye spoke through her mind. She and Alisti still had a mental link, but whether that was left over from the transfer, or one of Alisti's original powers, or something so deep and subtle that it couldn't be explained, neither one knew. You see, she continued, Alisti and I are tired of this life. We both love each other, and we want to live in peace, away from all this. We'll help with the war since it would be disgraceful to leave now, but when everything is said and done, could you relocate us to some deserted island where we can spend the rest of our days in privacy and isolation? "You both want this?" he asked. Alisti nodded and even smiled. "More than anything, sir." He paused; the smile twitched, and his eyes glowed thirteen colors. "I will see what I can do. In the meantime, you might want to take these last few days and enjoy them. The war will commence in a week's time." "How do you know this?" they asked in disbelief. Now, both the smile and his eyes glittered sharply like knives, and he seemed to burn for a little. "...I have my ways." ......... It wasn't like Rin to worry, but Kailin was still a child, and she was like a sister to her now. True, she had Kathy and Joanna to look out for her now, but how much damage could they really cause in a fight? Rin had sparred several times with the young Inferno during the course of the last few days, and pushed the girl hard, forcing her to reach new levels. Kailin was no longer afraid or reluctant of her powers, but she still seemed distant, cold, and quiet, like she didn't want anything to do with Rin. Well, maybe it was just puberty kicking up some rebellious thoughts. Lord knows that Rin was just like that when she was that age. She had an appointment with Setsuka in a short while, but she knew she could spare at least ten minutes to check up on her charge. Not knowing what mood little Hsu would be in when she arrived, Rin steeled herself for anything and came to the door, the room she and Hsu shared with Kathy and Joanna. She knocked once, got no answer, and quietly opened the door, calling her friend's name. "Hsu? You in here?" Kailin was there, all right, and so was Kathy: together, kissing tenderly, in a shocking state of undress, groping each other's naked breasts as they sat there on the bed, clad only in their panties. They were very nearly having sex!! Rin screamed out loud—Hsu and O'Hare also let out little shrieks as they covered themselves up—and poor stupid Takamatsu stormed into the room, nearly breaking Kailin's arm off as she yanked her away from her girlfriend. "What the HELL do you think you're doing?!?!" she roared. Then, to Kathy, so quickly that it was all jumbled up, "Get the hell outta here! Get the hell out! What in God's name are you two doing?! Get out! Get out! What is going through your mind?!" She glared at Kailin, but for the first time ever, Hsu didn't back down. She glared right back, matching fire with fire. She even slapped Rin across the face, as hard as she could. "I'm not a little girl, Rin!" she roared, nearly igniting on the spot. "Who do you think you are, telling me what to do! Kathy and I love each other, so what right do you have to tear us apart like that!!" "Because you're too freaking young to have sex, that's why!" "You're not my mother, you stupid conceited bitch!! You're not my mother, not my sister, not my cousin...you're no relation to me! You can't tell me what to do! Why don't you get the hell out! Get out!" "This is my room too!" "IT'S KATHY'S ROOM TOO! I hate you!" Rin snapped out at poor Kailin, flinging her across the room and right into the wall, all with just a simple, quick gesture. She gasped suddenly as the almost-naked girl slumped down, groaned, and ceased to move. Her heart then froze as she feared the worst. "Oh my god...what have I done...?" Fearfully, she crept up to the broken body, whispering Kailin's name again and again. When she came close enough... BAM!! A fireball shot out and struck her square in the chest. Kailin stood back up and roared, and might have actually fought Rin then and there if a very sensible person hadn't came by and stopped them. "ENOUGH of this!! Stop it right now!" Setsuka Hinomoto jumped in at the last second, holding Kailin back with her superior strength, but her glare was more aimed at Rin. "Calm down, the both of you! You're acting like children! How could you possibly come to blows with each other? You're supposed to be friends—hell, sometimes you even act like family! So what in God's name is going on?" "Stay out of this, Setsie!" growled Rin, nursing the place Kailin had struck her. She was bleeding a little—clearly the younger girl had been working out if she could hurt her like that. The burn was inconsequential; only her shirt had been scorched, leaving her skin hot but undamaged. "This is none of your business." "I'm making it my business, Rin," she spat coldly. "Now what's going on? One at a time, please, and remember, I can read your minds if I have to." She slowly let go of Kailin, who was calmer by that point. She told her story: she and Kathy were talking and weeping in each other's arms, worried that they might soon die so soon after discovering their love for each other. Their kissing became very heavy, until one thing led to another and they began to undress, making ready for the deepest intimacy. Kailin believed she did nothing wrong, but Rin saw different. "She's too young to be having sex!" she insisted. Setsuka gave her a chilling look. "Maybe so, but you don't have the right to say what she can and cannot do. I know you two are close, and you care about each other, but you can't interfere in each other's private lives. You're not her mother, Rin." "The fireball said the same thing," she muttered, spitting out some blood. She shuffled past them, growling angrily. "If anybody needs me, I'll be in the medical room having my lip checked. I didn't know the fireball was gonna hit me so hard." She threw both women a dirty look, and was soon gone. The tension in the room lifted almost instantly. "You okay?" asked Setsuka, not being able to see the hurt Kailin showed. "...No, I'm not. I think I have a concussion. She hit me really hard. I guess I shouldn't have said I hated her, but...damn it, she can't control me like that! I mean, I know she loves me, and I love her too, but I'm not her freaking daughter! I have my own life, my own hopes, and my own person to love. I just wanted to be with Kathy, one last time." "...I understand," Setsuka told her, smiling sadly. "You know, to be perfectly honest, I feel the exact same way about Rin." "You do?" Setsuka nodded solemnly, and for awhile Kailin could smile again. "That's sweet. I thought you two liked each other. She needs someone like you to calm her down. She is just too darn wild for anyone else." "That's part of the reason why I like her," admitted Snowblood. After taking care of Kailin's clothing situation and the layout of the room, which had been disheveled from the fight, Setsuka escorted Kailin to the infirmary, where (no surprise) both Kathy and Rin were waiting for her. Kathy turned briefly to look at Rin, who only gave the young Angel a nod. She than ran over to Kailin and threw her arms around her. "Rin, is there something you'd like to say to these two?" asked Setsuka. "In a minute!" she snapped. The Ronin stood, nursing her chin with an ice pack, and made her way over to the two girls. She then bowed to her knees, then became further prostrate and placed her forehead on the ground in abject humility. "I beg of you to forgive me," she murmured quietly. "I was wrong to say those things. I was wrong to dictate your life, Hsu, and to break up a happy union. I was wrong to do it all. Please, I beg of you to forgive me—and if it's at all possible, to forget about this whole thing and go back to what you were about to do. I'm just...always concerned about your well-being, but I guess I don't need to anymore, now that you have a Guardian Angel." Kathryn O'Hare smiled gently, knelt down, and raised Rin's head. She didn't say a word; she just caressed the older woman's hair. Kailin took a deep breath, crossed her arms, and pouted. "Begging does not become you, Ronin. I am unaccustomed to seeing you outside your realm of pride...but I guess I can forgive you. Setsuka wouldn't ever let me see the end of it if I didn't. And...I'm also sorry for saying all those things. I don't hate you, Rin; I love you quite a lot, though you may be the world's greatest pain in the butt. And...I know I said otherwise, but I really do think of you as a sister. Stand up, you idiot." She gave Rin a gentle kick and helped her up, and the two embraced each other as sisters-in-arms should. It was safe to say that the matter was solved then and there—Kailin and Kathy went back to their room and resumed their activities without interruption—and Rin went off to take a shower. When Setsuka asked if she could join her, however, all she got was another trademark Takamatsu yell. She went anyway. ...... After running around headquarters a few times, lifting weights with her friends, and learning basic martial arts and weapons moves, Aura Valeria felt like she had earned three showers. By this time in her life, she had come to the conclusion that she now belonged to a greater force, and that, for the time being, she could be excused from going around helping police officers and firefighters. After all, if anybody needed a stroke of good fortune, it was these people. Aura walked casually to one of the shower rooms, carrying a change of clothes, a towel, and toiletries, and set them down on a bench. She undressed and turned the water on, but then forgot her comb, and threw on a robe so she could dart to her room and retrieve it. While she was gone, Joanna White entered into the very same room and noticed one of the spigots was on—without anyone to occupy it. Knowing the value of money and water used wisely, she graciously turned it off, then decided to hop in another stall and wash herself, since she had been swimming rather hard. A few good laps in the pool always did refresh her, and now it was time to soak that chlorine off. Making sure nobody was around, she bundled her clothes in a towel and stepped into the stall. Aura came back about three minutes later, comb in hand, shrugged off her robe, and walked into the stall with the water running, thinking it was hers. But when she opened the curtain... "AAAAHH!!!!" Aura's face, lightly covered with those strange markings, turned violently red as she stared at Joanna White's thin tan body. Under normal circumstances, she would've just chuckled, apologized for the misunderstanding, and walked off to another stall, but this was hardly normal. For, right in front of Aura's young eyes, was the very last thing she expected to find on Joanna White's body. A set of male genitals. The penis, the testicles, the whole fourteen yards. And, she noted, a perfectly good set of feminine breasts. "God!" squeaed Joanna, whirling around so Aura wouldn't look at her—or was it him? Aura's heart raced fanatically (and not just for one lone reason!), and for that achingly long moment of time when the only sound they could hear was the rush of the water, she finally pieced everything together. Joanna—Jo, maybe, to be safe—wasn't just shy and unaccustomed to being around people because of some past event, s/he was just awkward about this...addition to her (or his?) body. Aura swallowed, not quite knowing what to think. "Okay, so you've seen it!" spat poor White. "Now get out of here. The secret's out...no doubt you want to laugh at me." "I...I don't want to laugh," managed Aura. Jo snorted. "You think I'm a freak, don't you? Everyone does. I wasn't born like this, you know; I was a boy to begin with. I went through transgender therapy, taking anti-androgens and hormones since I was fourteen. People say I'm a hermaphrodite, a boygirl. I just ignore them. I ignore everyone, and I can't get close to anyone because of...this. I can't be with boys because of my penis, and I can't be with girls because of my breasts. And it's no use being with someone who's homosexual; the genitals or the mammaries will throw them all off. So I'm all alone and bitter, and I'll no doubt stay that way. ...Have you left yet?!" Aura slowly, slowly, reached through the curtain of water to touch Jo's shoulder. "No," she whispered, stepping inside to join her, "I haven't. Nor do I intend to." ......... As he stabbed the large desk calendar with his finger, Director Taichou sighed. "Eight thousand in the army, more or less," he mused quietly. Looking up at Sayonada, he smiled. "Most of them heroes and villains of the past, people who have long since left us. Just think of the samples we could get from that." "It's sheer madness," murmured Sayonada, his fingers folded together over his mouth. But anyone could tell he was also excited—after all, they would meet their goal much sooner than anticipated with that kind of turnout. He hesitated to ask his next question: "Do you think you can handle it?" "I'll handle as much as I can stand. These others,"—gesturing to the door that led outside, where everyone prepared themselves for the war—"have done more than I thought possible. It's a shame I have to waste them, though I'm sure this war will take care of a few of them. I anticipate a victory." "Yes, but on whose side?" Taichou grinned, and stood to shake his old friend's hand. "That seems to be everything. I'm glad you stopped by. When next we meet, maybe Yohko can cook something up for us." "You're too much," said the older man with a laugh. He dismissed himself, and soon Director Taichou was alone. Sort of. "Do you think Yui suspects anything?" came the voice of Yohko Kamaguchi. "She's an intelligent woman, but we've been careful. Above all else, she must not know of my identity." "Of course. I'd like to speak with you about this war, and the...concerns I've been having." "Oh? Such as?" "That priest," she said with a shudder. "Aside from Soma, he's the only one here without powers. He snoops around like a detective, and so far he's been very keen on finding things that many people want hidden. And now I hear he's a member of the Savage Six." "Yes, that will be a problem. But imagine what we could do if we could draw them into our little circle." "I know, I thought of that too. But...there's also the man in white. I know for a fact that he's not human, but what's he really up to? Do you think we can use him?" "My darling girl," Taichou soothed her, "do you honestly think we will ever have that kind of power? That creature is a mountain, and we are merely pebbles. Even if we had the so-called Soul of Gaios on our side, we would not withstand his force. We should concentrate on the other." A pause. "You mean Miss Moore, of course." "Of course." "She's just like him—well, not quite. But very nearly like it." "She, however, has a weakness," he stated, and it was true. They both knew what it was. "The Stalker. The Shadow Warrior. Yes, yes." "Is there anything else impeding our goal?" he wondered. "Aside from those necromancers and that thing that attacked us the other day, that woman, I really don't think so. We could use the necromancers, and the woman..." "I'd love to merge with her body," hissed the Director. Yohko laughed. "Yeah, I'll bet you would. And Yui too." "That, dear one, is your department. But I do admit you're right. It would be the ultimate bond: brother, sister, and the one they both cherished above all." "With some modifications," she noted, restraining a laugh. "Oh yes. Thousands and thousands of them." ...... When the seventh day arrived, the Savage Six had arrived with their individual armies behind them. There was no time for reunions or introductions, though: plans had to be drawn up and battle formations needed to be taken. The time for training and relaxing was over; it was now a matter of total war. Everyone was given a task, some usually paired with three or four people and assigned an area of the city. They all promised to use their alternate names from that point on, but that left a problem for two in particular, who didn't go by any other moniker. "Marissa," said Namie, holding the young woman's hand firmly, "you're going to be an important part of this task. You need to come up with a name." "A superhero name?" she murmured dryly. Namie shrugged indifferently, so Wainright spent a few seconds rounding off a couple of names in her mind. "Well...the only good one I can think of right now is 'Psyche'." "Psyche will work," said Namie. "What about you, Joyce? Thought of a good name yet?" A pause. "...No." "Why not?" Another pause. "...I'm not going." She clutched onto her teddy bear like it was a shield, and refused to say anything else, even though Namie had treated her kindly since they first met. She knew she wouldn't get anywhere with the youngest member of the group, so she let Aura and Sarah—Lady Luck and Butterfly—handle it for her. "Joyce, we need you. You have a power that can save hundreds, maybe even thousands of lives. I know you hate using it—believe me, I hate using my power too if it helps the wrong people—but I do it anyway because it's the right thing to do." "You don't understand, Aura," she whispered softly. "...I'm afraid. My power hurts people. It doesn't do anything else. Things like strength, fire, armor, even stuff like acid...that can help people, in any number of ways. But the only thing I can do is hurt people, cause them fear, make them suffer and all that. So...I don't want to, and you can't make me!" "Then what are you going to do?" insisted Butterfly. "Just sit here and curl up into a ball while the rest of us run around risking our necks? Joyce, that's being selfish. None of us had any selfish thoughts when we signed up for this. We're not only fighting for ourselves, but we're fighting for every other person out there, even kids like us! I want you there, Joyce," she said, touching her shoulder. "I need you. You're the only one here I completely trust. And you'll be with me, too; we'll have a team all of our own, and the Spoon Man will lead it." They looked over at Haanz, who simply waved and smiled. "Still," said Joyce, curling up into said ball, "I'm not going. Nothing good will ever come of this power." "Then I'm afraid you have two options," said Sarah coldly, knowing they didn't have time for this. "You can either say that and stay here, hiding away with everyone else who can't do anything, and just pray that we all make it. Or you can think about something besides yourself and the consequences, face yourself and your enemy, and join us. I promise you, you'll be much safer with us. And you may be forced to use your powers anyway if you stay behind." "I'll never use them!!" she screamed. Butterfly lunged after her, slapped her, and drew her in for an intimate, painful embrace—maybe their last. "Then you will die," she whispered, her voice ancient and mature beyond her years. "And if you die, I will kill myself. Do as you will." She let go of Joyce and stood, turning around to face her destiny along with everyone else. Suddenly, miss Jameson realized that they were very serious, and they really would leave here there to win or lose all on her own. And more than anything, she did not want to be alone. Joyce... I believe in you, my daughter. You have the means to prevent suffering. What will you do with it? "Wait!!!" she screamed. The team stopped, and turned her way. Joyce stood firm, wiped the tears from her eyes, dropped her bear, and held her head high. "Phobia," she said. "You can call me Phobia." Next chapter: The Storm
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