Black Fury, Red Logicby InazumaChaptersChapter One: In the Beginning. (revised)(New) Chapter 2: Old Faces....Wait what the hell are you?! Pt. 1Chapter 3: Old Faces....Wait what hell are you?! Pt. 2Chapter 4: Close Encounter Of A Strange Kind.Chapter 5: A Shade Of Grey And A Half Truth.Chapter 6: Work in ProgressChapter One: In the Beginning. (revised)'Cause I wanna be famous! na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous. I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous! 4:00 am. 'I hate non-weekend mornings. Ah well, time to get into character.' Lori's hand reached over and hit the alarm snooze button as hard as possible. Which wasn't very hard since she didn't want to break the thing. After all, this was a custom alarm clock Lori practically had to sell her soul to Dormammu to get it. She got up from the comfortable carpet on the floor and stood up to her full 5' 5'' height and yawned a yawn that would make Big Paw jealous. Lori looked around and spotted her custom calendar, it had a picture of the five Green Lanterns of Earth, Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner on it. Out of Kyle's ring was the stylized word March and beneath the picture was the 31 days of March with the number 7 circled. She looked at the number for a minute before realizing what it meant. She closed her eyes and folded her hands, "Happy Birthday Grandmother." she said softly and somberly. The ritual completed, Lori got ready for the day. 'Man, I have been waiting for a long time for this and at last the day has arrived. The day of WonderCon. But first I must complete the first phase of the worst part of my day.' She grabbed two orange bottles from the top of the TV and a can of Root Beer from the mini-fridge. She opened the two bottles and poured out four pills. Three from one bottle, one from the other. The woman popped open the can of Root Beer and shoved the pills in my mouth and quickly downed them with the contents of the Root Beer. After shuddering for a few seconds she head into the bathroom to prepare. After exiting the Bathroom the Lori noticed it was already 7:00 am. "Shit! I had promised myself to be quicker this time. Damn it! Well it can't be helped. My breakfast will just have to be smaller this time....And I need to stop talking to myself." After finishing up her meal it was time for the next phase of this special day: Putting on the outfit of the character she would be cosplayng as part of her group. Lori was going as a lesser-known character from DC comics: Black Alice. After getting dressed she looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Time to see if my idea for this year's theme will workout. I really hope it does because I have got a lot more great ideas. Who knows if it goes well enough they'll let me pick the theme for ComicCon. Now remember, you are Lori Zechlin. Lori Zechlin, Earth's Mightiest Goth-Chick" Lori waited outside for her friends Zigfried Lloyd who would be dressed as Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil 4 version) and Matt who would be a version of Superman. It wasn't too long until Zigfried’s car pulled up near her drive way. "Hey Ziggy. Hey Matt. You guys ready for today?" She asked them after buckling up. "Hey T-Lori, looking good. And yes I'm ready." Matt responded her friend by her character's real name. "So what's the dealio? Do we have a plan Ziggy? I kind of forgot." "I would prefer it if you refrained from calling me Ziggy, please. And no not really, outside of the usual of me covering the hotel and major food expenses." Zigfried replied in his hot German accent. They felt they were lucky to have Zigfried in their group, as he was in a nutshell "Richer beyond the wildest dreams of Avarice" (as Matt so eloquently put it) as such Zigfried always paid for major things like tickets, food and hotel rooms despite our group's protests that we should split the bills between us. He politely pointed out that if we did that, not many of us would be able to afford decent costumes let alone be able to buy things at the Con which defeated the entire purpose of going to a Con. Such a nice and generous guy. "Awww, you know you like it." Black Alice said teasingly while kissing him on the cheek. Zigfried blushed, mumbled something about "Women" and continued driving. An hour and fifteen minutes later we arrived at the convention center. As soon as Black Alice got out she began stretching. "Ugh. I swear Ziggy your car seats maybe the comfiest thing ever. My ass is totally asleep." Lori complained/complimented. Zigfried ignored Lori's comment and promptly tossed her her pass. She caught it and immediately zoomed off. "Wow. That chick is fast when she wants to be." Matt observed. "Mmhmm." Zigfried agreed. ___________________________________________ Lori always got goosebumps whenever she was at a Con, though she is not entirely certain why. After staring at everyone and everything, Lori armed herself with her trusty camera and began a spree of picture taking and shopping the likes that won't be seen until ComicCon. Lori soon noticed a particular shop that had a ton of books with the shop keeper dressed as a Monitor from DC comics. Among his books she noticed two significant titles "The Complete Encyclopedia of the DC Multiverse" and "The Complete Encyclopedia of the MARVEL Multiverse". She went wide eyed and demanded the price. The Monitor pointed to a label marked $20.00. "Twenty bucks for both?" Black Alice asked. The Monitor nodded. "And these are up to date right?" She asked again barely able to contain her excitement. The Monitor nodded again in confirmation. "That's a steal you may as well be giving them to me for free, hee." Lori giggled, pulling out one of her wallets and handing a twenty dollar bill to him then grabbed the two books. "For such a beautiful young lady I'll also include this," The Monitor handed me a much smaller book. She looked at it closely, it looked like a Death Note. "Thanks. I---" Lori wasn't able to finish that sentence. Because everything suddenly went Dark. ___________________________________________ *Gasp* Lori awoke with a start in the middle of a field. "What the Fuck is going on?" were the first words that came out her mouth. Lori stood up and looked around, trying to get her bearings. She tried to think about what happened, but all that came was the Con, the books then nothing. Somehow she had wound up outside, in a place she had never seen but also seemed very familiar. "What happened to me? Where am I?!!!!" Lori shouted to the heavens. No one answered. She was all alone in this strange new place. Author's Note New story, New characters, New problems. (New) Chapter 2: Old Faces....Wait what the hell are you?! Pt. 1Author's Note May I present the all New and Improved Chapter 2: (New) Chapter 2: Old Faces....Wait what the hell are you?! Pt. 1 "-Agents got that swagger, Everyone's so cloak and dagger. I'm feeling nervous but I'm really kinda wishin' for an undercover mission, that's when the Red Alert came on the radio and I put my ear piece on, got my dark sunglasses on! And I had my weapon drawn! So I get my handcuffs, my cyanide pills, my classified dossier. Tapping the phones like yeah, Shredding the files like yeah. I memorized all the enemy spies I gotta neutralize today. Yee-eee-eeaahhh it's a party in the CIA!" Lori had been walking for hours wishing she had her Ipod with her, she was bored and really weird things happen to her when she is bored. Her thoughts going random places, she does things she wouldn't normally do such as sing. As much as she liked listening to others sing, she didn't like doing it herself mostly because she thought she sounded bad, yet reminded herself that Weird Al tends to sound good no matter who is singing it. "Speaking of Weird Al I remember the time he voice a a character on one of my favorite kids TV shows. If I remember correctly it happened during season 4 of My little pony: Fim. It's a real shame that the songs in that episode weren't written by him but by Jay-whateverthehellhislastnameis." Lori thought to herself. "HBK, what's this?" Lori had come across a stream that looked completely clean and utterly devoid parasites and pollution. Realizing her thirst she dunked her head in the water to cool herself off and began drinking. Thirst now quenched, Lori brought her head out of the stream. She spotted a smooth boulder nearby and crawled to and leaned against it to rest and contemplate her situation. Lori had been walking for a while now and had noticed a few things, first was the distance and amount of time she has been walking. She had a great deal of endurance and stamina until a couple years ago when she got hit by car and damaged her hip to the point it required surgery. This had severely weakened her to the point where she could no longer lift her left leg up all the way which as she put it "made putting socks on without help a Bitch with a capital B", which is why she usually wore sandals or flip-flops, except for special occasions with today being one of them. However, Lori began to grow suspicious when she realized she walked a considerable number of miles without exhausting herself which was unheard of after her injury. "If my calculations are correct I've also walked ten times the amount I usually could before my injury and in less time too. It's almost as if....my injury was gone, like I never had it or Elixir from the X-Men cured it. Well only one thing to do, test it. If I'm able to bring my left leg up to my right knee as if I were putting on socks then I'll know for sure whether or not my theory is true or if my mind is playing tricks on me." She slowly and deliberately lifted her left leg up, up and, "....success!" Lori shouted. Lori was conflicted. On one hand: part of her was pleased at this mysterious recovery which allowed her to continue her dream of martial arts mastery. On the other hand she wondered if this was some kind of trick, but simply decided not to question it for now so as not to "jinx" it. Another thing that came to her attention but she didn't put much thought into was where she was. At first Lori thought she was being pranked but she had proven this false, then she thought of her....thing but she was not in a Hospital or any form of shelter for that matter. Then Lori thought kidnapping (unlikely but not impossible in such a public crowded area in broad daylight) but then what for? Her clothes and body were intact and undamaged so rape is out. Lori still had her wallets filled with money for the Con so not a mugging, ransom is also out because neither she nor any of her relatives have enough money to pay for a significant ransom (if they even cared enough to attempt such a thing). Leverage/Black Mail or Ransom against Ziggy is also out because he certainly doesn't look or act rich and he doesn't parade that fact around. In fact he looks like your stereo-typical German. So much so that before Ziggy and Matt became friends Matt once called him a "sour-kraut sausage sucker" to which we all, Ziggy included laughed at (and not to mention where Lori currently was was a pretty poor holding/hiding area). That left only one thought. One dark thought. One Lori didn't want to think about but she had to. Death. There is a possibility that she was murdered or died in some freak accident that she couldn't remember and was sent to Heaven or Hell or Equestria or Narnia and her wounds were simply gone. "Bah! I'm not even going to entertain that thought anymore. Besides there's no proof." Well no use sitting around thinking about it anymore. Time to start walking again and find some sort of clue to where I am and hopefully some civilization. Hours Later: Sunset At last! Civilization! Lori saw what appeared to be a medium sized town in the distance. She began running full sprint toward it. Five minutes later she arrived at a sign that revealed the town's name: "WELCOME TO APPLELOOSA!" "Appleloosa? Isn't that the name of that one Wild-West town from MLP: FIM? Nah it couldn't be. It's just a coincidence or joke. There are plenty of places named after or the same as fictional places in real life." Convinced, Lori simply ignored the sign and headed on in. Looking around it really resembled a Wild-West town a fact she gave no further thought to other than that of, 'So it's a town modeled after a fictional town, nothing strange about that. If Japan can have a statue of a Gundam the size of the Statue of Liberty in Tokyo Harbor then why not a real life fictional town.' Lori stopped for a minute to get a pebble out of her shoe, as she did this noticed horse tracks. Fresh too. Which was a good sign and proved that the town had occupants. She quickly followed the tracks in the hopes of finding some people who she could get some information from, maybe some food and shelter to boot. Seconds later Lori spotted two figures standing in the distance, 'Talking to each other perhaps?' Alice thought as she waved and shouted to them to gain their attention and prevent them from walking away before she got there. "HEY!" "HEY!! WAIT UP!! The figures turned to see who was hailing them. Lori finally caught up to them and fell to her hands and knees so she could catch her breath. "Howdy, Miss can we help you?" The man asked Lori held up a finger signaling to "give me a minute" so she could catch her breath. Once she had sufficient air, she stood up and looked at the two figures. They looked exactly like Braeburn and Little Strongheart only anthropomorphic, complete with cowboy outfit and Native American dress respectively. 'I guess if the town was modeled after the cartoon one then I guess it must be some type of tourist attraction/resort and it would make sense to have a few people dressed as a few characters from the show running about to really sell it.' Lori thought but she ignored the errant thought and introduced herself, "Hi my name is Lori and I'm lost and could use some help." "Braeburn" and "Little Strongheart" exchanged concerned glances before turning to the newcomer again. "We'd be happy to help, right Braeburn?" said "Little Strongheart" 'I guess they had a "No breaking character unless in an emergency or directly asked" policy.' Lori thought "Right ya are Little Strongheart. Nice to meet you Miss Lori. Now, let us first get some food and water in you and then we can discuss things. You look a little pale." "Just Lori is fine and Thank you." "Braeburn" and "Little Strongheart" turned Northward and began walking towards what Lori guessed would be a Restaurant, Bar or INN. She stood there for a minute looking at their "tails" that were moving. "Must be electronic or made of really light material to make them move like that.' Realizing that she was falling behind her guides, she power-walked after them. The trip was in relative silence and Lori soon chose to break it. "By the way great outfits you two, especially yours Little Strongheart very beautiful." she complimented. Little Strongheart giggled cutely, "Thank you Lori." "I also like your masks very real looking." she continued. They stopped walking. "Masks? We're not wearing any masks. What makes you say that?" Braeburn inquired Lori stopped too when I heard that. "Obviously you can't be the real Braeburn and Little Strongheart." She replied casualy while walking closer to "Little Strong Heart." Little Strongheart looked worried for Lori but remained calm as she got closer to her. Braeburn also looked worried for his friend as well followed her lead by staying calm as well while bracing himself to jump in between the strange girl and his friend. Lori touched one of Little Strongheart's horns. It felt solid and didn't so much as give an inch when she tried to wiggle and pull it. "Impossible. You're real?!" Lori breathed. "Um Lori? Are you alright?" Little Strongheart asked in a kind and gentle tone. The shock of this revelation along with the heat combined with her body's exhaustion was too much. And she promptly collapsed and passed into unconsciousness right then and there. Chapter 3: Old Faces....Wait what hell are you?! Pt. 2Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 4: Close Encounter Of A Strange Kind.I loomed over the pathetic excuse of a gang, waiting, daring them to make a move. They were shocked to say the least but they quickly got over it. "What the hell are you?" one goon asked. I thought for a moment before deciding on an answer. Intros are important. "I am the terror that Hunts in the night! I am the Jackal that gnaws at your bones!" One particularly frighted goon tried to run away but I stretched out a hand and fired a large bolt of lightning that only missed him by a few inches and struck the ground, charring the dirt black. "I'm not fiiinished." I called down a large bolt of lightning to strike behind me for dramatic effect. "I am BLACK ALICE!! Another goon aimed his gun at Little Strongheart but I flew right up to him and bitch slapped him which sent him flying off his steed and smashed straight through a wheeled stall of cabbages and through a building wall. Everyone was shocked by this, King Longhorn ordered his remaining minions to fire their guns at me and what unicorns were with him fire their deadliest spells at me. I don't know why but even though every instinct in me told me to dodge, I decided to just continue to float there and take it. When the bullets hit my shirt and my skin I felt them but there was no pain. It felt like, I don't know, like if someone or something poked you gently but at rapid pace. Next came the spells. The spells did touch me but each impact seemed to create mini bursts of lightning as if striking an invisible force-field, they didn't leave a single impression. I thought about all the ways I could end this but why do something so complex on a bunch of losers like these? Hmmm. Heh heh heh. I know just what to do. I raised my hands in the air to indicate that I had surrendered. The spells and shots from the guns ceased. The gangsters were shocked that I was unharmed but even more shocked that I had surrendered. "All right I give. You guys are just too hot to handle." I said with smirk while lowering my hands. Once they were at chest level, I brought them together in a mighty clap. THOOOOM! The resulting shock-wave sent the entire gang plus their mounts flying several feet back and into unconsciousness. Miraculously somehow King Longhorn managed to stay awake albeit dazed. Must be all those muscles, I wonder if he's related to Ironwill. Well time to deal with the leader...heh, heh, heh. King Longhorn tried to get back to his feet but his body just wouldn't stop shaking. As he continued to struggle he thought of his plan to take Appleloosa. The plan was simple: Deliver threats to the town so they know danger was coming. Send in few parties to cause trouble every so often and then have them disappear for a while and send more threats and insults but don't appear to make them antsy and paranoid. Capture hostages and use them to force the townspeople to surrender then acquire the town. Easy. It should've been easy, how did things go so wrong? A voice called out to him, "Did you hear me? I said get up." the voice commanded. King Longhorn lifted his head up to look at the one addressing him, it was that strange female from before, Black Alice he remembered her calling herself that. He opened his mouth to say something but before he could Black Alice grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and forcibly yanked him to his feet. "Now, let's talk shall we?" and with that the two took off into the sky. I flew straight into the air until we were about fifty feet high, then I turned to address my "passenger". "All right you, talk. But first I'm going to punish you for crimes against my friends. Now let me think, what would be a suitable punishment for you? Hmmm." I looked upon his trembling form to see what I could do to him. I'll admit that my sadistic and perverse side made my eyes travel downwards to his "thing" and the thought of me ripping it off, frying it up in a pan and forcing him to eat it did cross my mind. However even I'm not that brutal. I turned my gaze toward his head and looked at his horns which even I had to admit were magnificent. My thoughts then turned toward his name King Longhorn. With a name like that he obviously must have been very proud of them. Perfect. "You know what? I'm willing to be lenient. What with schools today being what they are an' all, they obviously didn't teach you proper respect. I bet they they didn't even teach you proper math. I'll tell you what, instead of punishing you I'll give you a little tutoring." "Bu-But--" I grabbed his horns before replying, " 'S okay. No charge." "One--" RRRRRiiiiiiPPPP!!!! "--Plus one--" RRRRRiiiiiiPPPP!!!! "--Equals TWO! My victim screamed in agony as I ripped off each of his horns by the roots. I didn't want him bleeding to death as I wasn't done with him yet, so summoning up a bit of power I fully cauterized the wound on his right side and only partially cauterized the wound on the left side of his head, that way bleeding out was still a threat but not an immediate one. "Now then, how about you and me play a game? Here are the rules: I'll ask you some questions and you'll answer them truthfully. For each truth you give and answer that I like, you score a point. Collect enough of these points and you'll be able to cash them in for fabulous prizes! Such as me not maiming you further and if you're really good, you'll be able to earn the Grand Prize of me only breaking your arm and then letting you go. However, for each lie and answer I don't like you get a penalty, a penalty in the shape of this," I broke his thumb in demonstration. "Understand?" King Longhorn nodded his earnestly. "Good. Now then. Question Number One..." *One hour later* "It seems our time is up, thank you for playing. You know you are really good at this game. You've just barely racked up enough points to afford the Grand Prize! Congratulations!" "So you'll let me go?" King Longhorn asked. "Of course. Are you implying that I'm a liar?" Alice demanded. "No! No! Of course not!" "Good, now hold out your arm." He did so. SNAP! "ARRRRGH!!" King Longhorn screamed as Alice broke his left arm. "Now that that part of the deal is finished I will now fulfill the other part our bargain." with those words said Black Alice let the former gang-leader go; and he began plummeting to the ground, screaming all the way. Black Alice waited a few seconds before she flew after him. "Poor sweet baby. Are you not enjoying your hard earned prize?" Alice asked when she caught up with the doomed King Longhorn. "You said you'd let me go!" he shouted. "And I did. I just didn't say whether it would be on the ground or not. Tell you what, if you give up your prize I'll catch you. What do you say?" "Okay I'll do it." With their deal struck Alice caught the helpless Minotaur and flew to a new location. The Dump stretches out of sight from the far bank of the West River. I was told it ends somewhere before some farmlands that belong to the Diamond Dogs. It smells of rot and rust--it's a breeding ground for insects and rodents. Black Alice arrived and drops King Longhorn unceremoniously to the ground. "Oof!" "Now then I've grown bored so I'm just going to drop all pretense and simply maim you ok?" Alice says simply. "But you said you wouldn't." King Longhorn cried out fearfully. "I lied. From the very beginning I've been lying to you. From the moment you began threatening my friends you were doomed and now it's time to pay the Piper. I've brought us here because we'll be completely alone. Absolutely no witnesses save the bugs and rats to what I'm about to do to you." King Longhorn began screaming again as Black Alice got to work. First I make him eat some garbage. KRMP --Then I help him swallow it. THWAKK A beauty to his Solar Plexis KLUDD --I worry he might drop too soon. CHUDD Surprisingly he offers some resistance with a swift kick. Not that it matters. WHUKK. I show him my appreciation by breaking his nose. THAK Some ribs CHOK KLUDD The remaining arm KKRAKKKKK The legs KRAKKKKK He falls. He won't be getting up for a long time. I conjured up a steel table right underneath him along with some chains to hold him down. I then use a little spell to wake him back up. "Now for your final lessons." I take out a combat knife. "This here is the true reason I brought you here. I don't want to scare my new friends." I grin. "Amateurs always start with the eyes or groin, they should be left for last. The correct way is to start with the knees and elbows. Why you ask? Cutting the joints produces far more pain than the legs, arms or torso. It reduces the risk of a spasm spoiling the work. And it has the added benefit that every single time you move, it's like knives are slicing those joints all over again. And you will move. King Longhorn screams "No, No, No, NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Black Alice dropped off what was left of a barely alive King Longhorn at Appleloosa's hospital. After transforming back to normal Alice finds her friends outside the hospital. "So, Cheeseburgers?" Alice asks. They look at each other before nodding. *Sometime later* Alice sits down on a boulder in the middle of a field of wheat to think about what had transpired. "King Longhorn and his gang were scumbags to be sure and I certainly don't regret what I did. But still...did I go overboard? Should I just have beaten the shit out of him then sent him to jail?" Alice hid her face in her hands. *sigh* Out of nowhere a voice call out. "Tomoe." Startled Alice quickly looks all around her for the source voice seeing nothing she looks up to see a familiar figure floating in the air. "GAH!" cries Alice as she falls off the boulder she as sitting on. "Fear not, I am the Phantom Stranger. I am here to help you." the figure says calmly. "You didn't bring the Spectre with you, did you?" Alice asked fearfully. "No." Alice let out a massive sigh of relief before standing back up. "So what can I do for you Stranger?" The Phantom Stranger held out two strange looking items. "Allow me to tell you about a collective of beings called the Displaced." Author's Note *dies* Chapter 5: A Shade Of Grey And A Half Truth.Author's Note My half of the crossover Schroedingers Katze's Umbra: The Overlady story. In order: one should read my brief intro, then follow the link to Katze's side where she published the majority of the chapter we wrote then comeback here for the ending. Chapter 5: A Shade Of Grey And A Half Truth. Black Alice sat in a field of wheat thinking over what the Phantom Stranger had said about the Displaced as well as the objects he had given her. "On one hand it makes absolutely no sense. But then again this is the Phantom Stranger we're talking about. The guy practically invented vague and cryptic. On the other hand what have I got to lose? I mean if whatever shows up happens to be malevolent I'm sure I can handle it." Black Alice sighed in resignation stands up and begins concentrating on the object, trying to get a feel for it's power. She hears a message To you, who hold this trinket. No matter if you wish to conquer or to protect. No matter if you wish to destroy or to create. I do not care if your intentions are black, white or any shade of gray, call my name and I will come. But be prepared for the judge of our actions will be Time alone. I am Umbra, the Overlady. The Mistress of Minions. And this is my token. "A bit dramatic but whatever. Umbra the Overlady I summon you." Alice called out with authority. The rest. Alice sighed. 'Wonder what that was about? Well it was fun while it lasted. That Umbra lady sure is crazy but she's the fun kind of crazy.' Alice took out a spiral shaped Anklet from her pocket. 'As much as I like her though I can't just use her as my primary source of intel on the Displaced, I need a second opinion then I'll compare and see if what Umbra said was truth or lies.' Alice sipped her third glass of Lemonade. "Wait a minute! How the hell does having sex with another girl even work?!" Alice cried out. Chapter 6: Work in ProgressSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter One: In the Beginning. (revised)'Cause I wanna be famous! na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous. I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous! 4:00 am. 'I hate non-weekend mornings. Ah well, time to get into character.' Lori's hand reached over and hit the alarm snooze button as hard as possible. Which wasn't very hard since she didn't want to break the thing. After all, this was a custom alarm clock Lori practically had to sell her soul to Dormammu to get it. She got up from the comfortable carpet on the floor and stood up to her full 5' 5'' height and yawned a yawn that would make Big Paw jealous. Lori looked around and spotted her custom calendar, it had a picture of the five Green Lanterns of Earth, Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner on it. Out of Kyle's ring was the stylized word March and beneath the picture was the 31 days of March with the number 7 circled. She looked at the number for a minute before realizing what it meant. She closed her eyes and folded her hands, "Happy Birthday Grandmother." she said softly and somberly. The ritual completed, Lori got ready for the day. 'Man, I have been waiting for a long time for this and at last the day has arrived. The day of WonderCon. But first I must complete the first phase of the worst part of my day.' She grabbed two orange bottles from the top of the TV and a can of Root Beer from the mini-fridge. She opened the two bottles and poured out four pills. Three from one bottle, one from the other. The woman popped open the can of Root Beer and shoved the pills in my mouth and quickly downed them with the contents of the Root Beer. After shuddering for a few seconds she head into the bathroom to prepare. After exiting the Bathroom the Lori noticed it was already 7:00 am. "Shit! I had promised myself to be quicker this time. Damn it! Well it can't be helped. My breakfast will just have to be smaller this time....And I need to stop talking to myself." After finishing up her meal it was time for the next phase of this special day: Putting on the outfit of the character she would be cosplayng as part of her group. Lori was going as a lesser-known character from DC comics: Black Alice. After getting dressed she looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Time to see if my idea for this year's theme will workout. I really hope it does because I have got a lot more great ideas. Who knows if it goes well enough they'll let me pick the theme for ComicCon. Now remember, you are Lori Zechlin. Lori Zechlin, Earth's Mightiest Goth-Chick" Lori waited outside for her friends Zigfried Lloyd who would be dressed as Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil 4 version) and Matt who would be a version of Superman. It wasn't too long until Zigfried’s car pulled up near her drive way. "Hey Ziggy. Hey Matt. You guys ready for today?" She asked them after buckling up. "Hey T-Lori, looking good. And yes I'm ready." Matt responded her friend by her character's real name. "So what's the dealio? Do we have a plan Ziggy? I kind of forgot." "I would prefer it if you refrained from calling me Ziggy, please. And no not really, outside of the usual of me covering the hotel and major food expenses." Zigfried replied in his hot German accent. They felt they were lucky to have Zigfried in their group, as he was in a nutshell "Richer beyond the wildest dreams of Avarice" (as Matt so eloquently put it) as such Zigfried always paid for major things like tickets, food and hotel rooms despite our group's protests that we should split the bills between us. He politely pointed out that if we did that, not many of us would be able to afford decent costumes let alone be able to buy things at the Con which defeated the entire purpose of going to a Con. Such a nice and generous guy. "Awww, you know you like it." Black Alice said teasingly while kissing him on the cheek. Zigfried blushed, mumbled something about "Women" and continued driving. An hour and fifteen minutes later we arrived at the convention center. As soon as Black Alice got out she began stretching. "Ugh. I swear Ziggy your car seats maybe the comfiest thing ever. My ass is totally asleep." Lori complained/complimented. Zigfried ignored Lori's comment and promptly tossed her her pass. She caught it and immediately zoomed off. "Wow. That chick is fast when she wants to be." Matt observed. "Mmhmm." Zigfried agreed. ___________________________________________ Lori always got goosebumps whenever she was at a Con, though she is not entirely certain why. After staring at everyone and everything, Lori armed herself with her trusty camera and began a spree of picture taking and shopping the likes that won't be seen until ComicCon. Lori soon noticed a particular shop that had a ton of books with the shop keeper dressed as a Monitor from DC comics. Among his books she noticed two significant titles "The Complete Encyclopedia of the DC Multiverse" and "The Complete Encyclopedia of the MARVEL Multiverse". She went wide eyed and demanded the price. The Monitor pointed to a label marked $20.00. "Twenty bucks for both?" Black Alice asked. The Monitor nodded. "And these are up to date right?" She asked again barely able to contain her excitement. The Monitor nodded again in confirmation. "That's a steal you may as well be giving them to me for free, hee." Lori giggled, pulling out one of her wallets and handing a twenty dollar bill to him then grabbed the two books. "For such a beautiful young lady I'll also include this," The Monitor handed me a much smaller book. She looked at it closely, it looked like a Death Note. "Thanks. I---" Lori wasn't able to finish that sentence. Because everything suddenly went Dark. ___________________________________________ *Gasp* Lori awoke with a start in the middle of a field. "What the Fuck is going on?" were the first words that came out her mouth. Lori stood up and looked around, trying to get her bearings. She tried to think about what happened, but all that came was the Con, the books then nothing. Somehow she had wound up outside, in a place she had never seen but also seemed very familiar. "What happened to me? Where am I?!!!!" Lori shouted to the heavens. No one answered. She was all alone in this strange new place. Author's Note New story, New characters, New problems.
(New) Chapter 2: Old Faces....Wait what the hell are you?! Pt. 1Author's Note May I present the all New and Improved Chapter 2: (New) Chapter 2: Old Faces....Wait what the hell are you?! Pt. 1 "-Agents got that swagger, Everyone's so cloak and dagger. I'm feeling nervous but I'm really kinda wishin' for an undercover mission, that's when the Red Alert came on the radio and I put my ear piece on, got my dark sunglasses on! And I had my weapon drawn! So I get my handcuffs, my cyanide pills, my classified dossier. Tapping the phones like yeah, Shredding the files like yeah. I memorized all the enemy spies I gotta neutralize today. Yee-eee-eeaahhh it's a party in the CIA!" Lori had been walking for hours wishing she had her Ipod with her, she was bored and really weird things happen to her when she is bored. Her thoughts going random places, she does things she wouldn't normally do such as sing. As much as she liked listening to others sing, she didn't like doing it herself mostly because she thought she sounded bad, yet reminded herself that Weird Al tends to sound good no matter who is singing it. "Speaking of Weird Al I remember the time he voice a a character on one of my favorite kids TV shows. If I remember correctly it happened during season 4 of My little pony: Fim. It's a real shame that the songs in that episode weren't written by him but by Jay-whateverthehellhislastnameis." Lori thought to herself. "HBK, what's this?" Lori had come across a stream that looked completely clean and utterly devoid parasites and pollution. Realizing her thirst she dunked her head in the water to cool herself off and began drinking. Thirst now quenched, Lori brought her head out of the stream. She spotted a smooth boulder nearby and crawled to and leaned against it to rest and contemplate her situation. Lori had been walking for a while now and had noticed a few things, first was the distance and amount of time she has been walking. She had a great deal of endurance and stamina until a couple years ago when she got hit by car and damaged her hip to the point it required surgery. This had severely weakened her to the point where she could no longer lift her left leg up all the way which as she put it "made putting socks on without help a Bitch with a capital B", which is why she usually wore sandals or flip-flops, except for special occasions with today being one of them. However, Lori began to grow suspicious when she realized she walked a considerable number of miles without exhausting herself which was unheard of after her injury. "If my calculations are correct I've also walked ten times the amount I usually could before my injury and in less time too. It's almost as if....my injury was gone, like I never had it or Elixir from the X-Men cured it. Well only one thing to do, test it. If I'm able to bring my left leg up to my right knee as if I were putting on socks then I'll know for sure whether or not my theory is true or if my mind is playing tricks on me." She slowly and deliberately lifted her left leg up, up and, "....success!" Lori shouted. Lori was conflicted. On one hand: part of her was pleased at this mysterious recovery which allowed her to continue her dream of martial arts mastery. On the other hand she wondered if this was some kind of trick, but simply decided not to question it for now so as not to "jinx" it. Another thing that came to her attention but she didn't put much thought into was where she was. At first Lori thought she was being pranked but she had proven this false, then she thought of her....thing but she was not in a Hospital or any form of shelter for that matter. Then Lori thought kidnapping (unlikely but not impossible in such a public crowded area in broad daylight) but then what for? Her clothes and body were intact and undamaged so rape is out. Lori still had her wallets filled with money for the Con so not a mugging, ransom is also out because neither she nor any of her relatives have enough money to pay for a significant ransom (if they even cared enough to attempt such a thing). Leverage/Black Mail or Ransom against Ziggy is also out because he certainly doesn't look or act rich and he doesn't parade that fact around. In fact he looks like your stereo-typical German. So much so that before Ziggy and Matt became friends Matt once called him a "sour-kraut sausage sucker" to which we all, Ziggy included laughed at (and not to mention where Lori currently was was a pretty poor holding/hiding area). That left only one thought. One dark thought. One Lori didn't want to think about but she had to. Death. There is a possibility that she was murdered or died in some freak accident that she couldn't remember and was sent to Heaven or Hell or Equestria or Narnia and her wounds were simply gone. "Bah! I'm not even going to entertain that thought anymore. Besides there's no proof." Well no use sitting around thinking about it anymore. Time to start walking again and find some sort of clue to where I am and hopefully some civilization. Hours Later: Sunset At last! Civilization! Lori saw what appeared to be a medium sized town in the distance. She began running full sprint toward it. Five minutes later she arrived at a sign that revealed the town's name: "WELCOME TO APPLELOOSA!" "Appleloosa? Isn't that the name of that one Wild-West town from MLP: FIM? Nah it couldn't be. It's just a coincidence or joke. There are plenty of places named after or the same as fictional places in real life." Convinced, Lori simply ignored the sign and headed on in. Looking around it really resembled a Wild-West town a fact she gave no further thought to other than that of, 'So it's a town modeled after a fictional town, nothing strange about that. If Japan can have a statue of a Gundam the size of the Statue of Liberty in Tokyo Harbor then why not a real life fictional town.' Lori stopped for a minute to get a pebble out of her shoe, as she did this noticed horse tracks. Fresh too. Which was a good sign and proved that the town had occupants. She quickly followed the tracks in the hopes of finding some people who she could get some information from, maybe some food and shelter to boot. Seconds later Lori spotted two figures standing in the distance, 'Talking to each other perhaps?' Alice thought as she waved and shouted to them to gain their attention and prevent them from walking away before she got there. "HEY!" "HEY!! WAIT UP!! The figures turned to see who was hailing them. Lori finally caught up to them and fell to her hands and knees so she could catch her breath. "Howdy, Miss can we help you?" The man asked Lori held up a finger signaling to "give me a minute" so she could catch her breath. Once she had sufficient air, she stood up and looked at the two figures. They looked exactly like Braeburn and Little Strongheart only anthropomorphic, complete with cowboy outfit and Native American dress respectively. 'I guess if the town was modeled after the cartoon one then I guess it must be some type of tourist attraction/resort and it would make sense to have a few people dressed as a few characters from the show running about to really sell it.' Lori thought but she ignored the errant thought and introduced herself, "Hi my name is Lori and I'm lost and could use some help." "Braeburn" and "Little Strongheart" exchanged concerned glances before turning to the newcomer again. "We'd be happy to help, right Braeburn?" said "Little Strongheart" 'I guess they had a "No breaking character unless in an emergency or directly asked" policy.' Lori thought "Right ya are Little Strongheart. Nice to meet you Miss Lori. Now, let us first get some food and water in you and then we can discuss things. You look a little pale." "Just Lori is fine and Thank you." "Braeburn" and "Little Strongheart" turned Northward and began walking towards what Lori guessed would be a Restaurant, Bar or INN. She stood there for a minute looking at their "tails" that were moving. "Must be electronic or made of really light material to make them move like that.' Realizing that she was falling behind her guides, she power-walked after them. The trip was in relative silence and Lori soon chose to break it. "By the way great outfits you two, especially yours Little Strongheart very beautiful." she complimented. Little Strongheart giggled cutely, "Thank you Lori." "I also like your masks very real looking." she continued. They stopped walking. "Masks? We're not wearing any masks. What makes you say that?" Braeburn inquired Lori stopped too when I heard that. "Obviously you can't be the real Braeburn and Little Strongheart." She replied casualy while walking closer to "Little Strong Heart." Little Strongheart looked worried for Lori but remained calm as she got closer to her. Braeburn also looked worried for his friend as well followed her lead by staying calm as well while bracing himself to jump in between the strange girl and his friend. Lori touched one of Little Strongheart's horns. It felt solid and didn't so much as give an inch when she tried to wiggle and pull it. "Impossible. You're real?!" Lori breathed. "Um Lori? Are you alright?" Little Strongheart asked in a kind and gentle tone. The shock of this revelation along with the heat combined with her body's exhaustion was too much. And she promptly collapsed and passed into unconsciousness right then and there.
Chapter 3: Old Faces....Wait what hell are you?! Pt. 2Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 4: Close Encounter Of A Strange Kind.I loomed over the pathetic excuse of a gang, waiting, daring them to make a move. They were shocked to say the least but they quickly got over it. "What the hell are you?" one goon asked. I thought for a moment before deciding on an answer. Intros are important. "I am the terror that Hunts in the night! I am the Jackal that gnaws at your bones!" One particularly frighted goon tried to run away but I stretched out a hand and fired a large bolt of lightning that only missed him by a few inches and struck the ground, charring the dirt black. "I'm not fiiinished." I called down a large bolt of lightning to strike behind me for dramatic effect. "I am BLACK ALICE!! Another goon aimed his gun at Little Strongheart but I flew right up to him and bitch slapped him which sent him flying off his steed and smashed straight through a wheeled stall of cabbages and through a building wall. Everyone was shocked by this, King Longhorn ordered his remaining minions to fire their guns at me and what unicorns were with him fire their deadliest spells at me. I don't know why but even though every instinct in me told me to dodge, I decided to just continue to float there and take it. When the bullets hit my shirt and my skin I felt them but there was no pain. It felt like, I don't know, like if someone or something poked you gently but at rapid pace. Next came the spells. The spells did touch me but each impact seemed to create mini bursts of lightning as if striking an invisible force-field, they didn't leave a single impression. I thought about all the ways I could end this but why do something so complex on a bunch of losers like these? Hmmm. Heh heh heh. I know just what to do. I raised my hands in the air to indicate that I had surrendered. The spells and shots from the guns ceased. The gangsters were shocked that I was unharmed but even more shocked that I had surrendered. "All right I give. You guys are just too hot to handle." I said with smirk while lowering my hands. Once they were at chest level, I brought them together in a mighty clap. THOOOOM! The resulting shock-wave sent the entire gang plus their mounts flying several feet back and into unconsciousness. Miraculously somehow King Longhorn managed to stay awake albeit dazed. Must be all those muscles, I wonder if he's related to Ironwill. Well time to deal with the leader...heh, heh, heh. King Longhorn tried to get back to his feet but his body just wouldn't stop shaking. As he continued to struggle he thought of his plan to take Appleloosa. The plan was simple: Deliver threats to the town so they know danger was coming. Send in few parties to cause trouble every so often and then have them disappear for a while and send more threats and insults but don't appear to make them antsy and paranoid. Capture hostages and use them to force the townspeople to surrender then acquire the town. Easy. It should've been easy, how did things go so wrong? A voice called out to him, "Did you hear me? I said get up." the voice commanded. King Longhorn lifted his head up to look at the one addressing him, it was that strange female from before, Black Alice he remembered her calling herself that. He opened his mouth to say something but before he could Black Alice grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and forcibly yanked him to his feet. "Now, let's talk shall we?" and with that the two took off into the sky. I flew straight into the air until we were about fifty feet high, then I turned to address my "passenger". "All right you, talk. But first I'm going to punish you for crimes against my friends. Now let me think, what would be a suitable punishment for you? Hmmm." I looked upon his trembling form to see what I could do to him. I'll admit that my sadistic and perverse side made my eyes travel downwards to his "thing" and the thought of me ripping it off, frying it up in a pan and forcing him to eat it did cross my mind. However even I'm not that brutal. I turned my gaze toward his head and looked at his horns which even I had to admit were magnificent. My thoughts then turned toward his name King Longhorn. With a name like that he obviously must have been very proud of them. Perfect. "You know what? I'm willing to be lenient. What with schools today being what they are an' all, they obviously didn't teach you proper respect. I bet they they didn't even teach you proper math. I'll tell you what, instead of punishing you I'll give you a little tutoring." "Bu-But--" I grabbed his horns before replying, " 'S okay. No charge." "One--" RRRRRiiiiiiPPPP!!!! "--Plus one--" RRRRRiiiiiiPPPP!!!! "--Equals TWO! My victim screamed in agony as I ripped off each of his horns by the roots. I didn't want him bleeding to death as I wasn't done with him yet, so summoning up a bit of power I fully cauterized the wound on his right side and only partially cauterized the wound on the left side of his head, that way bleeding out was still a threat but not an immediate one. "Now then, how about you and me play a game? Here are the rules: I'll ask you some questions and you'll answer them truthfully. For each truth you give and answer that I like, you score a point. Collect enough of these points and you'll be able to cash them in for fabulous prizes! Such as me not maiming you further and if you're really good, you'll be able to earn the Grand Prize of me only breaking your arm and then letting you go. However, for each lie and answer I don't like you get a penalty, a penalty in the shape of this," I broke his thumb in demonstration. "Understand?" King Longhorn nodded his earnestly. "Good. Now then. Question Number One..." *One hour later* "It seems our time is up, thank you for playing. You know you are really good at this game. You've just barely racked up enough points to afford the Grand Prize! Congratulations!" "So you'll let me go?" King Longhorn asked. "Of course. Are you implying that I'm a liar?" Alice demanded. "No! No! Of course not!" "Good, now hold out your arm." He did so. SNAP! "ARRRRGH!!" King Longhorn screamed as Alice broke his left arm. "Now that that part of the deal is finished I will now fulfill the other part our bargain." with those words said Black Alice let the former gang-leader go; and he began plummeting to the ground, screaming all the way. Black Alice waited a few seconds before she flew after him. "Poor sweet baby. Are you not enjoying your hard earned prize?" Alice asked when she caught up with the doomed King Longhorn. "You said you'd let me go!" he shouted. "And I did. I just didn't say whether it would be on the ground or not. Tell you what, if you give up your prize I'll catch you. What do you say?" "Okay I'll do it." With their deal struck Alice caught the helpless Minotaur and flew to a new location. The Dump stretches out of sight from the far bank of the West River. I was told it ends somewhere before some farmlands that belong to the Diamond Dogs. It smells of rot and rust--it's a breeding ground for insects and rodents. Black Alice arrived and drops King Longhorn unceremoniously to the ground. "Oof!" "Now then I've grown bored so I'm just going to drop all pretense and simply maim you ok?" Alice says simply. "But you said you wouldn't." King Longhorn cried out fearfully. "I lied. From the very beginning I've been lying to you. From the moment you began threatening my friends you were doomed and now it's time to pay the Piper. I've brought us here because we'll be completely alone. Absolutely no witnesses save the bugs and rats to what I'm about to do to you." King Longhorn began screaming again as Black Alice got to work. First I make him eat some garbage. KRMP --Then I help him swallow it. THWAKK A beauty to his Solar Plexis KLUDD --I worry he might drop too soon. CHUDD Surprisingly he offers some resistance with a swift kick. Not that it matters. WHUKK. I show him my appreciation by breaking his nose. THAK Some ribs CHOK KLUDD The remaining arm KKRAKKKKK The legs KRAKKKKK He falls. He won't be getting up for a long time. I conjured up a steel table right underneath him along with some chains to hold him down. I then use a little spell to wake him back up. "Now for your final lessons." I take out a combat knife. "This here is the true reason I brought you here. I don't want to scare my new friends." I grin. "Amateurs always start with the eyes or groin, they should be left for last. The correct way is to start with the knees and elbows. Why you ask? Cutting the joints produces far more pain than the legs, arms or torso. It reduces the risk of a spasm spoiling the work. And it has the added benefit that every single time you move, it's like knives are slicing those joints all over again. And you will move. King Longhorn screams "No, No, No, NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Black Alice dropped off what was left of a barely alive King Longhorn at Appleloosa's hospital. After transforming back to normal Alice finds her friends outside the hospital. "So, Cheeseburgers?" Alice asks. They look at each other before nodding. *Sometime later* Alice sits down on a boulder in the middle of a field of wheat to think about what had transpired. "King Longhorn and his gang were scumbags to be sure and I certainly don't regret what I did. But still...did I go overboard? Should I just have beaten the shit out of him then sent him to jail?" Alice hid her face in her hands. *sigh* Out of nowhere a voice call out. "Tomoe." Startled Alice quickly looks all around her for the source voice seeing nothing she looks up to see a familiar figure floating in the air. "GAH!" cries Alice as she falls off the boulder she as sitting on. "Fear not, I am the Phantom Stranger. I am here to help you." the figure says calmly. "You didn't bring the Spectre with you, did you?" Alice asked fearfully. "No." Alice let out a massive sigh of relief before standing back up. "So what can I do for you Stranger?" The Phantom Stranger held out two strange looking items. "Allow me to tell you about a collective of beings called the Displaced." Author's Note *dies*
Chapter 5: A Shade Of Grey And A Half Truth.Author's Note My half of the crossover Schroedingers Katze's Umbra: The Overlady story. In order: one should read my brief intro, then follow the link to Katze's side where she published the majority of the chapter we wrote then comeback here for the ending. Chapter 5: A Shade Of Grey And A Half Truth. Black Alice sat in a field of wheat thinking over what the Phantom Stranger had said about the Displaced as well as the objects he had given her. "On one hand it makes absolutely no sense. But then again this is the Phantom Stranger we're talking about. The guy practically invented vague and cryptic. On the other hand what have I got to lose? I mean if whatever shows up happens to be malevolent I'm sure I can handle it." Black Alice sighed in resignation stands up and begins concentrating on the object, trying to get a feel for it's power. She hears a message To you, who hold this trinket. No matter if you wish to conquer or to protect. No matter if you wish to destroy or to create. I do not care if your intentions are black, white or any shade of gray, call my name and I will come. But be prepared for the judge of our actions will be Time alone. I am Umbra, the Overlady. The Mistress of Minions. And this is my token. "A bit dramatic but whatever. Umbra the Overlady I summon you." Alice called out with authority. The rest. Alice sighed. 'Wonder what that was about? Well it was fun while it lasted. That Umbra lady sure is crazy but she's the fun kind of crazy.' Alice took out a spiral shaped Anklet from her pocket. 'As much as I like her though I can't just use her as my primary source of intel on the Displaced, I need a second opinion then I'll compare and see if what Umbra said was truth or lies.' Alice sipped her third glass of Lemonade. "Wait a minute! How the hell does having sex with another girl even work?!" Alice cried out.
Chapter 6: Work in ProgressSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
