Adventures in Parodyverse - Saving the Future Part 10.1

    ‘I have to get to the bottom of what’s going on’, was Lara Night’s most prominent thought as she flew low over Gothametropolis in her black and white costume, sometimes zipping between tall buildings, the illumination of the gothic city occasionally striping her quickly from her head to toe with strips of light.  When she got too close to tops or ledges of buildings their flags whipped in sync with her black cape for a moment.

    She began by taking one of Lisa’s suggestions, knowing from overhearing Hatman that HERPES was a fairly dangerous organization, especially when not kept in check by the Lair Legion.  She got a laugh upon arrival at their headquarters.  Silver Aegis mistook them for a Nazi splinter group, and was in the process of pummeling them when she arrived - in spite of Count Fokker’s protests that he wasn’t actually a Nazi.

    Lara introduced herself to the aging classic superhero while he was in mid-pummel, and shook his free gloved hand.  She then apologized and said she had to leave, because she had more crime to deal with.  He understood, and said he looked forward to meeting her again.  He then lowered his head and kissed her hand, in a sign of old-school chivalry that Lara wasn’t at all used to.  She would have to remember him.

    Then she took to the air again and searched for the Brotherhood of the Blackadder.  They had concealed themselves underground somewhere, if not literally then figuratively.  Nobody seemed to know where they were or what they were up to...but this odd gangster named Frankie seemed to know that they were on Beth Zemo’s list, though he couldn’t or wouldn’t say why.  He did use the word ‘doll’ a lot when talking to Lara, though.  She made a mental note to herself to check on Blackadder again later.

    Completely by accident, when leaving Frankie’s club, she walked right into a strange looking man dressed in a fur coat and cap.  He was trying to pull an ATM out of the wall of the bank across the street.  When he spotted Lara, he waved the crowbar he was holding at her.

    “You’re joking, right?”  Lara asked, raising an eyebrow and folding her arms.  “Do you know what city you’re in?”

    “The Warring Weasel is afraid of no one, bitch!”  When he opened his mouth and yelled that, it made Lara’s skin crawl, because he filed his teeth down to make them more animal-like and sharp.

    “Friend of yours?”  Frankie asked, poking his head out of the doors of his club again.

    “Mind your own damn business!”  the Furry Felon growled at Frankie.

    The other two doors opened, and two larger men in Zoot Suits stepped outside.  Warring Weasel’s angry snarl disappeared.

    “Being as how you’re in front of my club.”  Frankie said with  a shrug.  “You know, I’m a nice guy.  But see, I got this deal with Antony Vendredi, and you know him.  He’s not so nice.  He likes making an example out of people.”

    “Vendredi?”  Warring Weasel’s face fell.  He looked at Lara.  “Help?  Please?”  He dropped the crowbar and began backing away from the two large men, who were moving toward him.

    “I don’t know.”  Lara shrugged.  “You were pretty rude to me.”

    “Please don’t let them hurt me!”  Warring Weasel begged.  He fell to his knees and clasped his fur gloved hands together.  “Please!”

    She sighed again and gave Frankie a worn look.  “Okay, fine.  Give him a break this time, would you please?”

    “Sure, doll, anything for you.”  Frankie snapped his fingers, and the two large men stopped.  “But only cause you’re beautiful and you have a nice voice.  Ever think about a career club singing?”

    “No thanks.”  Lara replied, trying to suppress a smile.  She pulled Warring Weasel to his feet and shoved him once, encouraging him to run away.  He did so without much more prompting.  “Sorry I can’t hang around, I have stuff to do.”

    Frankie nodded and went back into his club with the two large men.

    As Lara took to the air again, she returned to her first thought again.  She had to get to the bottom of what was going on.  But then her thoughts went to something else.  Why did Lisa want her to research HERPES if that problem was being taken care of already?  Was the point for her to meet Silver Aegis?

    Then it dawned on her.  Without much effort, and with no publicity whatsoever, Lara was unwittingly making her presence known to the hidden heroes of Paradopolis and Gothametropolis without attracting unwanted attention.  There would be gossip that she was back in town, spread in watering holes and in the streets - but the word would never reach Baroness Zemo in her lofty mansion.

    That Lisa is a sly one, Lara thought to herself, smiling as she flew.  She was in her way to a spot within view of where the Lair Mansion used to be, to wait for everyone to leave the site so she could investigate it herself.

---

    “My grandfather is dead.”  Liu Xi told the old Chinese man with certainty.  She was speaking Chinese, in case he didn’t understand English.  He didn’t react as she ascended the steps of the gazebo, he remained still, sitting on the ground cross-legged.

    “Did your parents tell you that?”  he asked, sounding amused at her assertion.  He sensed anger from her, and smiled.  “No, child, if you let your temper get the best of you--”  He raised his arms slowly.  “There is life everywhere around you.  You don’t wish to harm it do you?”

    Liu Xi frowned.  She continued to stand, even if it showed disrespect to her elder.  “No,”  she conceded in spite of her defiant posture.  “And maybe I don’t wish to harm you either.  But you are not being...cooperative.”

    The old man patiently pointed to the ground in front of him.  “Sit, and I will try to answer any question you wish to ask.”

    Liu Xi reluctantly approached, and sat cross-legged in front of him.  She kept a special spell handy in case he decided to attack - this one was pure Xander.  It was a simple bottle cap clenched in her right fist.

    “Where is Dancer?”  she asked.

    “Safe.”  the old man replied.  “She will not be harmed.”

    “That’s not an answer!”  Liu Xi retorted angrily.  “I want her brought back now.”

    “I can’t do that.”  he said.  “Only you can, Liu Xi.  That’s why I need you.  Your power completes mine.”

    She clenched the bottle cap more tightly.  “Void, you mean.”  she guessed.

    The old man nodded.  “I have long mastered my elemental abilities.  I’ve far surpassed what you can imagine.  But at the expense to your most unique and special gift.  Liu Xi Xian, you have been touched by gods.”

    “And you want to take it from me?”  she ventured carefully.  “I won’t let you to do that.”

    The old man sighed, and his shoulders settled.  He looked a little sad as he told her, “I’m an old man, Liu Xi.  I’ve spent my whole life trying to master my elemental gifts.  I must learn the last element...the most illusive.  So I cast aside all pride, and I ask you...will you teach me?”

    “Not if I’m a prisoner.”  Liu Xi replied coldly, her eyes fixed on him.

    “You may leave any time you wish.”  the old man told her.  “After all, you are family.”

    “Don’t start that again!”  Liu Xi warned him.

    “But your friends...their rescue depends on our combined power.”  He quickly added.

    “And don’t threaten me either!”  She quickly rose to her feet, and began thumbing the bottle cap in her hand.

    “No, I--”  He looked down sadly and said, “I made a mistake.  I need your power to get your friends out.  It’s not a threat.  It’s a need.”

    There was a long, awkward silence while Liu Xi remained standing, and stared down the old man.  He didn’t flinch, but his eyes looked honest enough.  She finally sat down again.

    “On my terms.”  Liu Xi said determinately.  “I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but I’m not weak any more.  I will respect your home, but if you treat me badly I will leave.”

    “I’m proud of you, becoming so strong.”  The old man leaned forward.  “I will treat you like...a granddaughter.”  he promised.  “My home is yours.”

    “I don’t see a home--”  Liu Xi began to say.  As she spoke those words, a large home made out of bamboo and wood appeared behind the gazebo.  “Ohhh...interesting.  Using Wind to hide a building.  I’ve never tried that before.”

    “You will learn a lot here.”  the old man said, rising to his feet at the same time as Liu Xi.

    “I must be free to leave and return as I please.”  Liu Xi repeated.

    The old man nodded.  “I promised you that.”  he said.  “But you must not bring anyone else, I value my privacy.  I also must warn you...if you return home right now, before your friends are rescued...without their protection...you may be hunted by those who don’t understand.”

    “I know.”  Liu Xi lowered her head sadly.  She knew it was true, after her near arrest.  “How will I teach you void if you can’t use it?”  she finally asked.

    “You already know the answer to that.”  he responded with a smile.  “I can feel the elements around me, as you can.  I can align with them, as you can.  All I have to do is align myself with void when you use it.”

    “But this place is insulated from void.”  Liu Xi said.  “I can feel that.”

    “Haven’t you figured it out yet?”  the old man asked.  “This place...it’s a creation of mine.  My elements...and expression of my own soul, my own imagination.  As long as you are here, you see and feel only what I choose, what I have created--”

    Liu Xi interrupted him at that point.  “You didn’t answer my question.”

    “The first step,”  he explained, “is for you to choose a space to create an expression of your own elements.  Within there, you will feel Void...because it is there you are aligned with your own elements.”

    “And there is where I will teach you?”  Liu Xi asked.

    The old man nodded once.

    Liu Xi looked around the garden, and then toward the house.  “Then I choose this gazebo.”  she said.  “A very small space, where I can show you my true talents.”

    “But this gazebo is also an expression of--”  The old man stopped himself and finally smiled.  “Ah...an expression of your elements within an expression of mine.  Interesting indeed...very well.”  He stepped outside the gazebo and raised his arms.  “I will grant you this spot.”

    Liu Xi stood in the center of the gazebo and felt a rush as the sensation of all the elements returned to her.  She thought about simply leaving behind the old man and going to find her friends.  But how would she?  He was the key to finding them.  And at the moment, there was nothing but fear to go home to.  She finally decided to stay, at least until she could make contact with someone she could trust.  And she would require the old man to allow it.

    “Step into the gazebo now.”  Liu Xi told the old man.  “It’s time for the first lesson.”

TO BE CONTINUED?

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2008 by Jason Froikin, and may not be 

--    reprinted without permission.  

-- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow

--  Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin

--  Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin