The Line's Distortion

[Kersh Caliber]

((The following first post in this thread is a literary adaptation of the introduction scene to the indie computer game "A Blurred Line" by "Lysander86". Dialogue is copied verbatim to be faithful to the source material.))

Maybe the sky's falling down around the babies
Maybe the world is going to spin out of control
I don't care anymore
What if I quit today working for the man
And said I had enough, well, maybe I can
It's all gonna end anyway
Tell me doctor, what's the cure, for the wicked man's blues?
--"Dragonfly", by Shaman's Harvest

It was raining hard outside of the Block, a storm truly symbolic of the conflict about to unfold. The Block was a large industrial building made of dark gray steel, with eight purple bands of energy extending from the top into space, connected to a space colony hovering high above the planet, so high that it couldn't be seen. Three men were climbing up a ladder.

The first to finish the climb was a man dressed in all black: From his black boots up to his black jeans and black turtle-neck shirt, to the black longcoat being whipped about by the stormy winds, along with his long blond hair. Purple eyes were focused on the open doorway straight in front of him.

A red bandanna poked up over the top of the ledge as the next finished the climb, a middle-aged man who was faintly short of breath. A dark-skinned hand came up to rub the water off the black lenses of his goggles, the other hand placed in the pocket of his black leather jacket.

The last to finish the climb was a young man who couldn't be any older than nineteen. He adjusted the brown helmet on his head, then irritably reached down to wring the water out of his green shirt. "That climb wasn't such a big deal. I thought this place was supposed to be falling apart?"

The dark-skinned man turned to face the young man. "We still have some time. It looks as if he hasn't started unfastening the Link yet."

The young man grinned confidently, pounding a fist into an open palm. "And he's not gonna be able to - cuz Core--" he pointed to himself with his thumb, "--and Manta are on the job!" then extended a fist to the dark-skinned man for a fist-bump... who left him hanging.

The blond man's eyes narrowed as his ears picked up a faint humming sound, like that of some sort of approaching machine, even despite his young comrade's boisterous battle cry. "Quiet. Something's coming." He moved to hide behind a large steel box nearby, stealthily peering out at the doorway. His colleagues followed suit. A small green tank rolled out of the doorway, turning to the left and to the right, then turned around and rolled back inside. He took notice of a green light on top of its head. When the droid was back inside the factory, he stepped out from behind the box, eyes still locked onto the doorway. "That security droid has been deactivated. Its attack mode has been switched off."

Manta brought a hand up to rub his dark beard in contemplation. "That means we shouldn't have to deal with the security system - he deactivated everything on his way up."

Core almost seemed disappointed. "Awwwww. That's no fun."

Manta turned toward him with a frown. "Core, we're not here to fight drones. We're here to prevent a disaster."

The blond man continued to watch the door for a bit, then turned to face his comrades. "Remember, my alias for this operation is 'Kersh'. We should have the element of surprise."

"Won't he recognize you anyway, Boss?" asked Manta.

Kersh turned around and closed his eyes, briefly considering it, then shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"But... what about your wife?" asked Core, stepping forward a bit.

Manta jumped a bit, his eyebrows rising alarmingly, as if to indicate his eyes widening beneath his goggles. "CORE!!!" That was a line he shouldn't have crossed.

Kersh was silent for a moment, his head dipping a bit. He then turned to face Core, his expression conveying a small bit of sadness. "I think Emily was... an accident. And that makes it worse." He remained silent for a few moments, then shook his head. "No, he won't recognize me. Let's go." He briskly turned and led his comrades into the building.

The building was in disrepair, rust creeping up the dull gray steel walls. Water dripped from the rusty pipes overhead. Nearby, a drone like the one that had come outside earlier was backing up and then rolling forward to collide with the wall in front of it... repeatedly. Core stopped to look at it, while Kersh and Manta continued to walk ahead, Manta watching the droid curiously. "That drone's attack mode has been deactivated," said Kersh.

Core chuckled a little bit. "And without that, it's really stupid. There's a moral in there somewhere, but I don't like it so I'm not going to mention it again."

"Good," said Kersh, "we're wasting time." He and Manta were still further ahead, Manta looking back at Core as if urging him to hurry up. Core looked back to the two, and upon seeing how far ahead they were, dashed back over to them.

A few turns and corridors later, the trio found themselves in a room with a large computer in it. Manta stepped ahead to look at it, again rubbing his beard pensively. "This looks like the central security bank for the Block."

Core stood in the opening to the room, looking back through the hallway and keeping watch. He turned to face Manta. "This must be how he deactivated all the drones, right?"

Manta nodded affirmatively. "Yeah." He then walked over to the computer, and started typing away.

Core watched Manta work his computer magic in awe, and Kersh turned to watch the hallway, crossing his arms impatiently. "Every second you waste with that machine gives our adversary more time to sever the Link."

Core looked to Kersh, then back to Manta. "Manta, he's right. Thousands of workers in the Catch Colony could be--"

He was interrupted by a beep from the terminal, which announced the display of a window with a three-dimensional schematic of the building they were in. It also displayed the link extending from the top of the building. "Got it! I'm in!" said Manta. "According to this, the Catch Colony is connected to the Block by an electromagnetic Link, which keeps the Colony from drifting off into space."

Core blinked a few times. "I thought we knew that."

Kersh turned around and frowned, his irritation and impatience mounting. "We did. This is a waste of time."

"What we didn't know," said Manta, eyes still locked on the computer screen, "is that there's a cargo lift that can take us straight up to the Emitter Room, where the Link is projected!" He pressed a key to turn off the computer, then turned to face Kersh with a self-satisfied smirk. "You're welcome."

Kersh expressed no amount of gratitude as he turned and started back through the hallway. "Core, this way. We have an elevator to catch." Core followed, eyes still on Manta, who seemed to be frowning a bit in dissatisfaction with the lack of gratitude. He soon followed anyways.

A few more turns and corridors later, the trio found themselves before a small metal door with diagonal yellow and black stripes at the top. There was a terminal right next to it. Kersh pressed a button near the door to open it... no response. "How can we get through here?" asked Core.

"He must have triggered the alarms after he came through," replied Kersh. "Manta, handle it."

"Leave it to me, Boss." He walked up to the terminal and started typing away. A few seconds later, there were a few beeps, and the door opened up, ascending into the ceiling.

As they started to walk through the doorway, a loud boom resonated from outside the building. Kersh knew what that was. He frowned. "It's happening. He has begun to unfasten the Link. This place won't be standing for long." His walking pace quickened considerably.

This hallway was even more worse for wear than the previous ones, puddles of water built up from the dripping pipes assorted throughout. The trio briskly made their way down the corridor, and found themselves at a dead end with three large steel doors: one to the left, one to the right, and one straight ahead. "The elevator we want should be beyond the security door to the left," said Manta.

"Core, get us through this door," commanded Kersh.

Core looked to him and nodded with a grin. "No sweat, Boss! You want a door removed, I'm your MAN!!" He continued to grin as he stepped toward the door, his right fist glowing with a furious orange light. He pulled it back and cut loose at the door with a hard punch, an explosion of energy bursting forth from the fist as it made contact. The explosion put a gigantic hole through the door, large enough to easily fit two people through. Core panted a bit with his hands on his knees, recovering from the gigantic exhaustion of energy, then stood up straight and cracked his knuckles. "OK... let's go get him!"

They walked through the hole in the door to find a set of steel double doors, marked "00". Kersh pressed a button next to the door, and it opened right up. In they went. They found themselves inside the elevator they were looking for. It was rather large, but that was to be expected; it was, after all, a cargo lift. Manta pressed a button near the doors once he was inside the elevator, and the doors closed. The elevator started to rise.

"Do you think we'll make it, Boss?" asked Core. Kersh replied with nothing but silence. A long, pregnant pause. "I mean... we've got my strength and Manta's brains, but..."

Kersh finally turned to face him. "The target will pay. That's all that matters."

"What will REALLY happen if he releases the Link?"

"The Link keeps the Catch Colony fastened to Earth," explained Manta. "The Catch Colony captures and refines the energy of the cosmos into a form utilized by everything on the planet. Thousands of workers live in the Colony, operating and maintaining it. If the Link were to go..."

"Not only would all those lives be lost, but so would our primary energy source!" The gravity of the situation drew a grimace from Core.

The elevator came to a halt with a ding. "Get ready," said Kersh. "This could get very unpleasant, very quickly." The doors opened up, and out they went.

The three of them now ran down a hallway with blue stone wallls, approaching a small, plain grey door at the end of the corridor. Another boom sounded from outside the building. Kersh grimaced. "There goes another connection."

"The Link is almost unfastened!" exclaimed Manta.

"C'mon! We have to move!" Core followed suit. The three dashed faster, then skidded to a halt as they neared the door. Kersh opened it up, and they stepped through.

The room they stepped into was darkly lit, except for one brightly glowing light source: at the other end of the room, a man with short black hair stood in front of a computer terminal, the monitor's glow granting him a glowing silhouette, illuminating the black jacket he wore and the small blue shoulder pads on them. His typing was soft and steady, but audible. Kersh took a brief look around, the only thing of note to him being that one area of the room seemed to be a large body of water... a potential escape route for his target. He then approached the man at the terminal, the other two men walking alongside him.

"You must have known this could not work."

The man at the terminal suddenly jumped a bit, then turned around. A black visor of some sort covered his eyes. He froze up as he processed the three men before him. Kersh struck a chord in his memories, and he started to sweat a bit. "No... it can't be!"

Kersh stepped a little closer. "Step away from the Linkage mechanism. Those people don't need to die today."

The target scowled, his perspiration intensifying. He pressed his back up against the terminal. "You don't care about the colonists any more than... than I do!" The three men approached closer and closer to him. The target looked off to the side, his hesitation evident. He then grit his teeth, steeling his resolve. "No! I will NOT let you stop me!"

He turned around and resumed his work, the typing now rapid and furious. Another loud boom could be heard just outside of the room. Core and Manta turned toward each other, eyes locking. Another boom. Meanwhile, Kersh clenched his fists, eyes narrowing. "Thousands of lives, my friend..."

The target didn't even bother to turn around. "I'm not your 'friend'!" The word coated with all sorts of contemptful venom. Another boom.

Kersh's fists clenched tighter, lips parting slightly to reveal grit teeth. Then suddenly, that tension seemed to... vanish. Fists unclenched, teeth ungrit, lips closed into a frown. "I don't think you have it in you. You won't kill those people."

The target's typing slowed, and his head dipped, as if contemplating. Then a shake of his head. "I will not let you confuse me!" The typing sped back up.

It was clear the target could not be talked down... and they were out of time. Kersh's tension snapped back into place. "Core, Manta... NOW!"

Manta charged in first, quickly dashing up to the target, pulling his fist back. The target quickly whipped around and forcefully planted a booted foot into his assailant's abdomen, sending him halfway across the room. Meanwhile, Core had quickly snuck in from the side, his right fist glowing with the same orange light that demolished the steel door earlier. That fist shot forward toward the target's temple. The target looked toward his new assailant, and sneered. A hand came up and caught that fist. There was a faint sizzling sound, and smoke coming from his palm. There were two glowing lights beneath the visor, where his eyes were. Suddenly, the glow evanesced from Core's fist. The target pulled back his own fist, which now had that furious glow. As if he stole it right out of Core's fist. He then drove it into the face of his wide-eyed assailant, the very same explosion being issued upon contact and sending him spiraling to the ground next to Kersh. Kersh reached into his trenchcoat, but it wouldn't matter. It was already too late. The final keypress on the terminal rang forth.

Another boom.

"The Link is unfastened!" The target looked up, toward the direction of the booms that had resounded.

The building started to shake beneath them. A large battery-like device nearby exploded. The box to which the terminal was hooked followed suit. Chunks of concrete started to drop from the ceiling. The target dashed toward the water and dove in. "He's getting away!" Core started to stand up to pursue, but a large chunk of the ceiling dropped onto him, eliciting an agonized scream.

More explosions throughout the room followed suit, drowning the room and all visiblity in a blinding light...

((A Blurred Line canon ends here.))

[Kersh Caliber]

When the sky falls to the sea
I won't mind the calls in me
When the wind blows through the trees
I want to ride, the dragonfly
--"Dragonfly", by Shaman's Harvest

Kersh stalked through the hallway, away from the emitter room, a scowl marring his features as the Block shook itself asunder around him. The target had succeeded in his goal. The Link was severed. The Block was falling apart, and who knew what was happening to the Catch Colony or the rest of the planet. A fist slammed into the button of the cargo lift. A chunk of the ceiling crashed down to the floor mere inches next to him, but there was not even a flinch. Ding. The elevator opened up. Kersh stepped in, and a breathless Manta caught up and dashed in right before the doors closed on him.

"B-Boss..." Manta was obviously shaken. "Core is..."

"Dead," stated Kersh flatly, almost uninterestedly. There was a furious coldness in his purple eyes now.

"Y-yeah..." Manta continued to pant, then grit his teeth and slammed a fist into the elevator wall. "He was so young...! I promised his mother...!!"

"Get a hold of yourself or I'll leave you behind. This isn't over. The target will pay, just as I said."

"O... okay..." Manta nodded rapidly.

Kersh reached into his longcoat and pulled out what looked like a cross between a rifle and a shotgun, with a battery pack of some sort mounted onto the top. He cocked the gun, and the battery pack whirred to life, building up energy. "The Block will be falling apart around us. This cargo lift is in the central part of the building, thus we are presently not enduring any effects. This lift will be among the last to go. Once these doors open, that will quickly change. Unless you have the means to demolish the various obstacles that will hinder us, stay behind me and out of my way, or I will not hesitate to get you out of my way myself." Manta replied with nothing but a nod. "Good." Ding. "Let's go."

The doors openeed, and the pair stepped out. They were immediately treated to an obstacle right off the bat: a gigantic chunk of concrete, part of the floor from the above level, dropped down to create an inconvenient makeshift wall in front of the security door that Core had punched through. Kersh lifted his gun, took aim, and pulled the trigger. A large blast of energy shot forth from the barrel, exploding upon making contact with the obstacle and completely demolishing it. Kersh stalked on forward through the dust, Manta following behind him and coughing lightly.

He heard a bit of cracking above him, and looked up. Another chunk of the ceiling was about to fall. "Boss!"
Without missing a beat, Kersh reached into his longcoat with his free hand, pulled out a small silver pistol, and pointed it straight above him. Boom. Another energy blast shot upward to demolish the debris just as it started to fall toward him. He returned the pistol to its concealed holster and continued on his way, cocking the large gun to restart its charging cycle.

After a long five minutes or so, Kersh and Manta finally made it outside. The storm had picked up considerably in ferocity. Lightning and thunder were striking frequently. The winds were blowing much harder, and the rain now removed most visibility. "Manta, find him."

Manta nodded and brought a dark, thick finger up to press a button on the side of his goggles. Heat-seeking mode. He poked over the ledge of the balcony, his gaze sweeping all throughout the area. He eventually stopped, looking down and to the right. "He's coming out of the ocean, Boss."

"Exactly as I thought. Manta, descend the ladder before me."

Manta released the button and looked to his boss quizzically, confused blinks obscured by his goggles. He then nodded. "Okay, Boss..." He moved over to the ladder and started to descend briskly. Kersh then followed him, coming to a stop only a few rungs from the top. Manta looked up at him. "Boss?"

"If you do not survive this, then you are nothing more than a burden to me." It was as if he already knew what was going to happen. The building's violent shaking had finally taken its toll on the ladder, and disconnected it from the top of the balcony. The ladder started to fall.

"Oh sh**!!" Manta started to panic, but he wouldn't dare let go now. Yet it seemed to be a lose-lose situation. Let go, die. Hold on, die. He looked up at his boss, who had switched over to the other side of the ladder, and was now standing up on it as it fell, his feet on two different rungs, knees slightly bent. Without any better plan, the only thing he could do was try to imitate him, with time running out fast. He quickly flipped his body to the other side of the ladder, a highly difficult task considering his age and size, then stood up on two rungs like his boss. Kersh's arms were now crossed close to his chest, and his head was tucked in a little bit, as they were near the bottom. Bracing for impact. Manta imitated that posture too.

Wham. The ladder made its violent contact with the ground, launching its occupants forth off of it. Kersh leapt forth in time with the impact, hit the ground rolling, and was able to slowly get to his feet. Manta, however, wasn't quite as knowledgeable about smart falling practices, and thus, not quite as lucky. The fall had jarred his old body considerably, and though he would survive, he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. He simply laid there on the ground, breathing heavily and clutching his ribs. Kersh looked back to him, scoffed quietly, then continued on his way through the industrial city, the Block behind him meeting its ultimate fate and crumbling to the ground as he left.

Meanwhile, the target was on a mad dash away from the ocean, breathless but pushing his body to run regardless. His run was brought to a sudden halt as an energy blast rent the ground behind him, throwing his body forward. The blast caught him by surprise, and he hit the ground completely ungracefully, rolling a few times before stopping face down. He placed his hands on the muddy ground beneath him and pushed up to his knees, then to his feet. The sound of footsteps upon the same muddy ground caught his attention and caused him to turn around.

Kersh.

He stared into those purple eyes, as those purple eyes stared back into the black visor. For long moments that seemed like several eternities, the only sounds were the rain pounding the earth around them, the violent winds, and the frequent thunderclaps.

The first voice to break the silence between them was Kersh's. "Congratulations... Talan."

Talan grit his teeth and clenched his fists. "For what?"

"For killing one of my comrades and seriously injuring the other. For destroying the Block and severing the Link that provided us with our energy and kept the Catch Colony in the planet's orbit. For killing all of the workers in said colony. Not to mention Emily..."

Talan cut him off, enraged. "Leave Emily out of this!!"

Kersh sneered. "Of all the offenses I have listed, that's the one you take affront to."

"Emily was... Emily was...!" Talan looked down to the ground beside him, fists clenching tighter.

"No excuses. What's done is done. You killed Emily. You killed my comrade. You killed every worker on the Catch Colony. And your actions will undoubtedly throw our planet into chaos." The cocking of a gun. The whirr of a battery pack. "You will pay for your transgressions here and now."

[Kersh Caliber]

When I come, give me peace
And take my advice: just let me be
When the moon turns black as night
Bathed in the fires, oh, dragonfly
--"Dragonfly", by Shaman's Harvest

Kersh raised his gun, and pointed it at Talan's head. Talan reached into his jacket, pulled out a plain steel dagger, and stood at the ready. The whirr of the battery pack on Kersh's gun came to a halt, the sound's cessation almost masked by the heavy rainfall. Talan dove to the side just in time to avoid being vaporized by the energy blast that shot forth. He hit the muddy ground rolling, quickly got back to his feet, and dashed toward Kersh.

Kersh looked toward the charging Talan, and cocked his gun to restart the charging cycle. Talan thrust the dagger out toward Kersh's heart, only to have the more experienced man step aside and smash the butt of his gun into the back of his head. He stumbled forward and turned around, swinging the dagger down toward the crown of Kersh's head, but he held the gun up horizontally to block the strike, and placed a boot into his abdomen, knocking him down. He hit the ground and rolled backwards to his feet, only to see the gun pointed at him again. His eyes widened beneath the visor.

Boom.

There was a large, bright explosion where Talan stood, blowing chunks of the ground in all directions. When the smoke and the dust cleared, there was a thick wall of stone with innumerable cracks running through it. It soon crumbled to the ground, revealing Talan right behind it, breathing heavily, his hands pointed out.

"So," said Kersh as he cocked the gun and started another charging cycle, "you attempt to preserve yourself with the abilities you have stolen."

"You're one to talk," said Talan. "Why aren't you using the abilities Memnosyne blessed you with?"

"I've no use for that gypsy's memories of that destroyed kingdom. My own abilities are sufficient."

"I'm about to show you..." He raised his dagger, which was now coated in flame. "...just how wrong you are."

Talan's eyes flashed white beneath his visor, and a surge of energy shot through his body, causing his hair to briefly stand up. He thrust out a hand toward Kersh, eyes flashing purple now. He unleashed innumerable metal cords toward him. Kersh simply stepped aside, allowing them to pierce the ground behind him. The cords started to retract, quickly pulling their owner forward. He snapped a leg out toward Kersh, who held his gun vertically to block it. The cords snapped loose from Talan's hand, which was then placed on the ground to support his weight. The other hand thrusted the dagger in towards Kersh's abdomen, and penetrated unhindered. Not to mention it was on fire. Kersh's eyes widened as he grunted in pain, and he leapt backwards, off of the flaming dagger.

He brought his hand to the wound, which was already closed. It made sense that the wound was cauterized; after all, the dagger was on fire. He looked up toward... where Talan was. He looked all around him, then upwards. He barely had enough time to bring his arm up to block the axe kick coming in from above. He dropped his large gun beside him, and reached into his coat for one of the silver pistols. He pointed it at Talan and pulled the trigger. Boom. A large blast of energy, not as large as the one from the big gun but still big nonetheless, shot forth and threw Talan into the air, scorching a hole through his shirt and leaving a severe burn on his chest.

Talan's eyes flashed blue beneath the visor, and he ran his hand across the burn, a warm energy washing through it and healing it away. He looked down toward Kersh, who was pointing the larger gun up at him again. Boom. Talan thrust both of his hands out, eyes flashing yellow. The wall of stone appeared again to take the blast, and was demolished by it. His feet made contact with the ground with a sploosh of mud, and he pointed his free hand out toward Kersh. His eyes flashed red, and a flurry of fireballs shot forth toward him.

Kersh cocked the gun, then made a leaping dive to the side, barely able to avoid the attack. He had left the large gun behind, though. It wasn't serving him well right now, but he might need it later. As he rolled to his feet, he reached into his longcoat and pulled out a submachine gun, taking aim at Talan. He pulled the trigger and held it down, unleashing a stream of bullets toward him.

Talan couldn't see the weapon Kersh had switched to due to the heavy rainfall, but the resounding rat-tat-tat and the bullets piercing his body made it obvious. He hissed out in agony, and grit his teeth, then started to run to the side. Fortunately, Kersh couldn't keep his aim on him through the rainfall, and the bullets were only grazing him now. His eyes shut tight beneath the visor, concealing the white flash beneath his eyelids as the bullets were pushed out of their wounds by an unknown magical force.

The rat-tat-tat stopped, marking the end of the current clip in the machine gun. Kersh reached into his jacket for another clip, which gave Talan the perfect opportunity to counter-attack. Small spears of stone shot through the rainfall, piercing Kersh's body in various places, in much the same manner as his machine gun bullets. "Ugh!!" Kersh went down to a knee, dropping his gun beside him. Unlike the bullets, he could pull these out by hand. Which he did. He breathed heavily for a moment, then looked up toward Talan. His eyes were casting an intense purple light through the rain. He got back to his feet and picked up his gun, but it would be too late.

The earth rumbled beneath Talan's feet, before then giving way to the head of a gigantic black lich. A hand came up next, pulling the rest of its torso up above the earth. It opened its mouth and let out a fearsome roar, to which Kersh reacted with nothing but a scowl. That just made his job a lot harder. The lich's mouth remained open, as it built up a large amount of darkness energy. Kersh reached into his coat, pulling out a grenade. He pulled out the pin and tossed it several feet in front of him. He then dashed toward it, pulling out the two small silver pistols. He pointed them both downward, and shot them both in unison with a jump, which propelled him further into the air. The grenade then exploded as he passed over it, throwing him even higher into the air. And just in time too, because a large beam of evil purple light shot through the air where he was only a few moments ago. The creature had not anticipated that the grenade would propel its target upward.

As he flipped through the air, he holstered one of his pistols and pulled out a serrated combat knife. He reached the top of his arc, and started to descend toward Talan. The lich reached up into the air, unleashing sharp tendrils of darkness energy toward Kersh. They pierced through his body in various places, causing intense cringing, but they weren't vital areas. He continued his fall, shooting the unholstered pistol to the side to propel him the other way so that he wouldn't spear himself upon the lich's hand. He was now falling straight toward Talan, who could do nothing but grit his teeth... controlling the lich was no small feat of focus. He was completely open. As Kersh landed upon him, he plunged the combat knife into his chest, knocking him off of the lich. He had barely missed Talan's heart due to the difficulty of stabbing someone while plummeting from the air, but it was enough to break Talan's focus and cause the lich to dissolve away.

The two hit the ground rolling. Talan staggered to his feet frantically, pulling the knife out of his chest and tossing it aside. Before he could do anything to heal the wound, Kersh was on his feet too, one of the silver pistols pointed out. Boom. Talan held a hand out and snapped his fingers, his eyes flashing red. A large explosion rent the air between them, throwing them both several yards backward. They slowly got to their feet, and gazed intensely at each other. They both soon eventually realized something was wrong. The rain had stopped, as did the lightning... but the winds were still blowing fiercely. They heard a rumbling overhead, and looked up into the sky. Their eyes widened...

The Catch Colony was falling from the sky.

"W...w...w...what the HELL?!" exclaimed Talan, completely flabbergasted. "The Catch Colony should be drifting into space, not falling to Earth!"

Kersh's purple eyes narrowed. "We were afraid this would happen."

"Afraid what would happen?! Explain this to me!!"

"Due to the link being disconnected, the cosmic energy refined by the Catch Colony had nowhere to go. It simply built up until it was too much. The overload of energy displaced the colony enough so that it was subject to the planet's gravity. So not only is a gigantic metal structure about to crash into the planet, but due to the explosion, the entire planet will be subjected to an onslaught of raw cosmic energy."

"And what's that going to do?!"

"Nobody knows."

Talan looked back to the descending structure. Before long, it collided with the planet, many many miles away, with a deafening boom, sending violent tremors through the ground that threw them both off of their feet. Then, an immense explosion, even louder and more earth-shaking than the initial impact. The flames were strange, though. They weren't orange like those of a typical explosion. Rather, they were multicolored. Purple, blue, cyan... an explosion of raw cosmic energy. The earth continued to shake. There was a loud roar... like a tidal wave. And that wasn't too far from the truth. The roar picked up in loudness, as its source came nearer and nearer... a gigantic wave of cosmic energy. Talan stood up and started to run in a panic, but Kersh knew how futile it was. That wave was moving at the speed of a bullet train. There was no point in running. He closed his eyes and let whatever come, come. It was there before he could blink, slamming into him and washing him away.

[Kersh Caliber]

He was expecting some sort of death. Maybe an instantaneous vaporization, maybe a long, painful scorching death. But he was still alive, and he had no idea why. His body was at the mercy of the violent wave of cosmic energy as he lied down inside it, unable to move aside from mandatory blinking. He couldn't even turn his head to look around. All he could do was look up at the psychedelic waves of cyan, blue, and purple as they flowed over him. The colors started to fade away, until there was nothing more than white.

He could move now. He still felt like his body was in perpetual motion in some arbitrary direction as he righted himself in the white void and looked around. Nothing but white in all directions. Except one. A cacophony of colors and sounds was off in the distance... and he was heading right for it. Purple eyes apprehensively locked onto his destination. Closer, and closer. It became louder and more intense... and then it hit him much like the wave of cosmic energy did. From within the rushing torrent, he was able to discern what exactly the colors were... they were scenes being played out from a first person view. And that's what the sounds were, too. Voices. So many voices.

As he caught fleeting glimpses of the settings of the scenes he was shooting through, he got an idea of what they were. Memories of the Kingdom of Surl? They had to be; what else would they be? But why? Was he thrust into his own subconscious? Why would something like that happen? Unless... was he dead after all? Maybe he did get that instantaneous vaporization, and this was his afterlife. The onslaught of memories was unbearable upon his psyche. All the sights, and sounds. And now even the touches, the tastes, the smells... and the emotions. Every single sensation and every single emotion were bearing down on him all at once. He dropped to his knees upon some invisible--perhaps imaginary--plane beneath him, bringing his hands up to his head. A scream of agony escaped his lips, and his forehead met the imaginary plane beneath him.

Why was this happening to him? The gypsy Memnosyne was the previous keeper of these memories, but she had forced all of them into him as penance for... something... something... what? He couldn't remember. Something to do with his work in the Agency. The Agency. What did the Agency do? What was his position? He couldn't remember. He could feel that his memories were still there, but all the other memories were blocking access to his own. Could the memories be doing this on purpose? But mere memories have no soul, no will... do they? Or was it that the gypsy didn't just curse him with memories? The gypsy... what was her name again? He couldn't remember.

He started to scramble in his mind, trying to salvage whatever he could of his own memories. The cacophony of memories interfered with his efforts at every step. Any time he tried to remember one part of his own life, he remembered a thousand parts of Surl's instead. It was unbearable. He had to give up, or else possibly tear his mind and heart asunder. Soon, he even felt his own will and thoughts fading away. His identity, the kind of person he was... he couldn't remember anymore. Everything was gone. His hands slowly came off of his head, and he rose up to his feet, a truly blank expression on his face. He fell backwards, and then straight down, into the boundless sea of memories, submitting himself to an eternity of infinite rememberance.

Days, weeks, months, passed in the sea of memories, doing nothing but remembering. He had no idea who he was anymore. Maybe he was David Jones, the blacksmith, who forged weapons and armor for the army. Maybe he was Fiona Smith, the florist, who tended to her flowers with the utmost love and care. Maybe he was a little boy named Bobby, who liked to play frisbee with his friends Jimmy and Samantha. Maybe he was the first King of Surl, who ruled over his kingdom with pride... or the last King of Surl, who watched in agony as it crumbled apart.

So many lives, sensations, and feelings... yet he had no idea which was his. It was of no importance to him, though. After all, without an identity, without his own thoughts and feelings, how could he really care about anything at all? He suddenly became aware that he had a body, some sort of meager existence outside of the memories he was experiencing. He could feel his body descending, the rate of its descent gradually slowing. The fall was coming to an end. His body righted itself as if by some divine will, and his feet made contact with some invisible floor beneath him. All the memories faded to silent black. There was nothing before him but darkness and silence. With no memories to live through, he simply stood there like an empty doll. There was nothing inside him. An empty mind. An empty heart. An empty soul.

"Can you hear us?" A voice called out, an amalgamation of hundreds of voices. Men, women, children, all combined into one. Glazed purple eyes slowly looked around in response. "Good. We are the collective soul of the Kingdom of Surl. It is time for you to repent for your sins." The only response was a slow blink. The empty doll of a man had not the mind nor heart to react to the voice's words. "We will grant you back parts of your identity."

He could feel something growing inside of him. The ability to think. The ability to feel. Basic motor skills were gradually restored within him. He moved his arms, hands, and fingers, testing them out. He also tested his head and eyes too as he looked at them, and his mind thought on the meaning of his ability to do that. Eventually, he got back his intelligence. And even his memories... however, the memories were entirely too blurry and foggy to make out. Except for certain parts. Such as the most important part: his identity. Remember, my alias for this operation is 'Kersh'. His name must be Kersh. He also remembered years of training and combat experience, his ability to fight gradually being restored. He looked into his longcoat, at the vast array of armaments. He knew how to use each and every item inside, and how to use them well. Why does he have such skills, though? Step away from the Linkage mechanism. Those people don't need to die today. Was he a protector of the people? But it was time for him to repent for his sins... Did he do something... bad?

"Good... it seems your memories have been restored the way we wanted... and your feelings and values have evolved as we intended."

Kersh's intelligence was indeed restored; he was easily able to figure out what the implications of such a statement were. "Wait... you mean to tell me that I'm not... me? The person I am now is not who I was before?" He frowned, rather perturbed by such an implication.

"Indeed. You are presently what we made you to be."

Kersh looked down at his hands, suddenly uncertain of his existence. His feelings and values... "Repent for my sins..." If he was different now than he was before... then he very well could indeed have done something bad in his previous life. "What is my penance?" He looked up and around with eyes now pink like the petals of a cherry blossom, anxiously seeking the source of the voice.

He would not be able to find it; the voice came from all around him. "You need not worry about what your penance will be. You will soon arrive in a world far different from our own. When the time comes, you will completely remember who you were before. That old existence will blend together with your new one. If you are unable to repent by then, you will be killed. And if that happens... our memories will flood the world, tormenting all of its inhabitants just as they did you. We are trusting you to make the right decision when the time comes."

Tormenting...? Kersh's eyes widened, bewildered by such a proposition. This twisted soul was going to decide the fate of an entire world based on whether or not his old self could repent for his sins? "W-what? That's--" He was cut off, his breath whisked away. The memories reappeared... an onslaught of visions, sounds, smells, tastes, feelings... and emotions. So many of them, all filling him at once. The emotions were especially torturous upon him. An innumerable amount of feelings, all at once, threatening to burst his heart. His mouth was agape, and his eyes were wide. Not to mention completely white. Blank. His body trembled, his breath scarce. Then a red light shot up through his feet, and up to the top of his head. The memories disappeared again. A few blinks of his eyes, which were now ruby red, and several heavy breaths.

"Our memories, and the power of the emotions contained within, are yours to use, however you should choose to use them. Reach into your soul, and you will be able to find any memory you want. The limiter we have placed on you will protect you from the onslaught of memories, but your own emotions will draw certain memories toward you and repel others. Thus, we have restricted your own ability to feel. This is part of your penance for your sins as well. You may reduce the limiter to a lower level to draw in stronger memories... but they will affect your own emotions, and consequently, the way you will behave and the memories you will be able to use. Do you understand?"

"...Yes," came Kersh's quiet, subdued response.

"Good." Suddenly, his knowledge of his impending penance disappeared from his mind, whisked away by the collective soul of Surl. "Go, Kersh, and live your new life. We will be watching you..."

The darkness was gradually flooded with a bright white light, and he fell back into darkness once more as he lost consciousness.

[Kersh Caliber]

Several years ago...

Two men drifted through the middle of nowhere, immortals of a near-extinct race who decided to wander the planet of Rhy'Din for all eternity. They walked through a gigantic plain with naturally short green grass about five inches tall. They were heading north, where tall mountains could be seen in the distance. The sea could be seen to the west, as well as a town, which looked really tiny due to the vast distance. Sparse, fluffy cumulus clouds slowly passed overhead as they were blown by the slight breeze, giving flavor to the vibrant blue sky.

One of the wanderers looked like he came from the future. Vibrant blue hair atop his head, not quite short, but not really long, was rustled by the slight breeze. Vibrant, piercing red eyes were locked right in front of him, his face's expression completely stoic. Two red and yellow metal domes covered his ears, from which extended a pair of red antennae. They matched his sneaker-esque shoes in color and material. The rest of his clothes looked pretty normal, though. Loose blue pants with white stripes down the outside sides. A green jacket with white stripes down the arms, over a plain white t-shirt. A plain steel longsword was strapped to his back.

The other man looked completely bored in comparison to his companion. His face practically screamed, "I'm sick of walking." Half-closed green eyes didn't look focused on anything at all. The breeze had a little bit more difficulty disrupting the tall dark red hair atop his head. It stuck straight up, and must have been at least seven inches tall. His hands rested in the pockets of his red longcoat, worn over a dark red t-shirt. Baggy red pants sagged over a pair of dark red boots, and he had a sword strapped to his back too. Except his was more like a broadsword.

And that man finally voiced what his face was already saying. "I'm sick of walking, Link. When do we get to the next town?"

"Impatient as usual, aren't you, Vawn?" Link's tone was just as stoic as his face. "We've many more miles yet to go."

"Miles? Gah!" Vawn flopped onto his back in a surrendering gesture. "I give up. Why can't we fly? This sucks."

"Because we need not draw attention to us. You know that. We are no longer the council of Prism City, and our role as parents has come to an end. We are now merely wanderers." Link continued to walk forward, either not caring that Vawn wasn't following, or knowing that he'd catch up. And catch up Vawn did; he disappeared in a small flash of white light and reappeared next to Link in another, continuing to walk alongside him and looking even more irate.

Something soon caught Vawn's eye, though. Off in the distance, there was some black lump on the ground... with blond hair. Wait, was that a person? His eyes widened a bit, and he dashed off toward it. Link had seen it too, but he saw no need to dash over to it right away. After all, that's what his partner was for. Vawn skidded to a stop next to him, squatted down, and rolled him over. Yeah, he was unconscious. All the armaments inside the man's longcoat, which had opened up due to the displacement, caught his attention. "What the...? Why's this guy packing so much heat and unconscious out in the middle of nowhere?"

"Well, if you ask him, he might tell you." Link stopped near Vawn and simply watched.

"Yeah, true enough. He'll tell us either with his mouth or with his guns. One way or another. That is, if he's still alive, anyways." He places two fingers on his neck, feeling his pulse. Yep, still has one. That's good enough for him. So he starts shaking the unconscious man. "Hey, guy! Wake up! Are you okay?"

The man's eyelids slowly parted to reveal ruby red eyes, staring up at the unfamiliar men hovering over him, one shaking him. Vawn released him and backed away to give him room to sit up, and then eventually stand. He brushed his hands over his clothing, dusting himself off. He then looked around... not that there was much to see. "...Where am I?"

"Ohhh, this guy must be another Nexus drop," surmised Vawn with a hand on his chin, "which would explain why he's packing so much heat and unconscious way out here."

"Highly likely," affirmed Link. "You are on a planet called Rhy'Din."

"Rhy'Din...?" The man brought a hand up to rub at his forehead. It was aching a bit.

"What's your name, guy?" asked Vawn.

"My name is... Kersh," responded the man.

"Kersh what?"

"Kersh..." ...he came under the sudden realization that he had no last name. He would probably need one. He thought on it. Well, he was carrying a lot of guns on him. So... "Caliber."

"Nice to meet ya, Kersh! I'm Vawn Makuamie!" He grinned amiably at Kersh and held a hand out to him.

"And I am Link Akami. Well met, Kersh." Link gave Kersh a slow half-bow at the waist, though his stoic expression did not break to display any amiability.

Kersh shook Vawn's hand firmly, then reciprocated the bowing gesture to Link, though his face remained stoic. His heart was moved very little by the wanderers' kindness. A consequence of the limter placed on him by the collective soul of Surl. "Well met."

"We're do-gooder wanderers!" said Vawn with that amiable grin and a thumb pointed at his chest. He was pretty excited to have someone new to talk to.

"Vawn, there is no need to flaunt our occupation." Link paid his companion a faintly irritated look, then looked back to Kersh. "You will likely want to make your way to the capital, Rhy'Din City," said Link, "in order to get your bearings in this new realm, and find a way back to your home realm if you wish to return."

"Yeah," said Vawn, "tell us about your home realm." The amiable grin finally faded as he calmed down a bit. It was merely a friendly smile now.

"There is no need for us to trifle him with such details, Vawn," said Link, somewhat impatiently. "We must be on our way."

"My home... realm..." The hand came up to rub at his forehead again. He couldn't remember what it was like. Or even how he got here. "I don't remember."

Vawn blinked at him and scratched his head. "Huh... that doesn't happen every day."

"How... how do I get to Rhy'Din City?" Ruby eyes looked between the two wanderers.

"Ah, yes, of course," said Link. "Go several miles west of here," he pointed to indicate the direction, straight at the tiny town by the sea. "to a town named Springvale. Then take a boat to the capital city."

"But don't stay there long," said Vawn. "They're having really bad bandit problems."

"Bandit problems...? But are you not... do-gooder wanderers?" asked Kersh. "Why are you not going there to solve the problem?"

"Our adoptive son is on his way there," said Link, as Vawn nodded to agree with him. "He is a mercenary, and also works for the city guard, so he will be able to handle it himself. He does not need our help."

"Adoptive son? I see," said Kersh.

"Yeah, but don't think Link and I are like... you know," said Vawn, barely able to restrain himself from making a gesture to portray the idea he was alluding to. "We're more like best friends who decided to raise him together. Like a bad sitcom." Sage nodding.

"Vawn, it's time for you to stop talking," said Link with another irritated glance. "We will be on our way now. Good luck in Rhy'Din, Kersh." Link bowed to Kersh the same way as before, this time as a farewell, then continued walking along the path they were walking down before. Kersh bowed back to him in kind.

"But..." Vawn looked between Kersh and Link. "But, but, but...! Gah! Nice meeting you, Kersh! Bye!" Vawn waved at Kersh, then dashed after Link, his bellowing voice fading as he got further from Kersh. "You suck, Link! I was having fun! Human contact! Human contact!!" Kersh subduedly waved at his back.

He then looked in the direction that Link had pointed in, at the town off in the vast distance, and started making his way there. He couldn't remember his old world, or his old life. But what he did have was his name, the guns in his longcoat, and a desire to protect the people. Perhaps he would meet that mercenary, and work with him to solve that bandit problem. That settled it, then. That would be the start to his new life.