Liliana, Spirit's Majesty Character in New Champions Universe | World Anvil

Liliana, Spirit's Majesty

Liliana, Spirit's Majesty

In the past year, Liliana has only made a small number of appearances. She usually arrives on the action, flying in quite quickly, taking down foes rapidly, and then leaving them unconscious and entangled for the authorities to take care of, before flying off just as quickly as she came. She has only spoken to a small number of people in that time, those that had been hurt or were still in danger due to their circumstances. She speaks well, and many have noted her striking appearance, which can cause a stark reaction - either jealousy or amorous in the sight of those who see her. This divides people's opinion on her, and even some she has saved don't find her very relatable, however few have denied the good that she has done. Only two people have given account of what her name is, and both said she quietly told them her name was "Liliana". She has revealed almost nothing more about herself, letting her actions speak for her. When she has made an appearance, she is usually only there briefly and only interacts on a personal level if necessary, further dividing people's opinion on her.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Liliana is a well proportioned woman. She is very healthy and fit, representing a healthy, endowed, body shape.

Facial Features

She has a striking visage with pale skin and perfect features. Her eyes are a solid pale purple with no visible iris or pupil

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Liliana has been active in the world for only a short while - Her first known appearance was during an emotionally charged human rights march in Millennium City. Victoria was near the rally, showing support for human rights when a large man wearing a hooded cloak appeared on the scene with large weaponry, sparking fear and panic. Victoria was scared, but knew lives were in danger, so was able to get into a private are and change into Liliana. She flew quickly at the attacker and used a barrier of purple ethereal forms to encircle the man. He fired round after round of his weapon into the force wall with no luck. Liliana attacked the mans mind from outside the barrier and he eventually slumped to the grounds unconscious. Liliana collapsed the barrier and left him entangled on the ground helpless. Spirits materialized around the man and they grabbed the mans weapons, snapping them into multiple pieces rendering them unusable. Liliana looked around and saw she was being noticed, and flew off at top speed to find a place to change back into Victoria before she garnered too much attention. After the situation had cooled, Victoria was able to rejoin the rally, and overheard many emotional people thankful for her interference wanting to know who she was. Many wanted to thank their savior, but nobody knew who she was; just that she had been in time to save their lives. Victoria spent the rest of the afternoon looking over her shoulder, wondering if her actions had put a bullseye on her back.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Several months after her first appearance, Liliana was once again seen in public. Victoria was in Los Angeles, taping and interview for an upcoming film, 'BloodShot', she starred in alongside Vin Diesel. Halfway through the interview, there was a commotion of sirens and police presence on the set area warning them there was a hostage situation two blocks over, and the production manager insisted Victoria lock herself in her trailer. Victoria slipped out the window of the trailer and was able to get away from the commotion. She overheard two officers who thought they were alone talking about how they were doing a good job moving people away from NOVA labs, which was the opposite direction of the supposed hostage situation. Victoria decided she needed to check out NOVA labs and transformed into Liliana, took to the air and rapidly scouted the area. Liliana had the good fortune to catch a glimpse of a woman, dressed in all black, running off from NOVA labs carrying a large steel case. She recognized her vaguely, but didn't know who it was - she didn't know who Scorpia was, or how ruthless she was. Liliana put up a force wall around her and spoke down to her, disparaging her ways. Scorpia, recognizing from her accent that she was British, was enraged, and a fight ensued. Scorpia was incensed and overconfident, but eventually Liliana was able to get the best of her with her Agonizing Remorse hitting exceptionally strong, perhaps due to her numerous bad deeds. After momentarily stunning Scorpia, Liliana was able to press her advantage and render Scorpia fully unconscious. Defeated, Scorpia's stolen briefcase was anonymously returned to the security desk at NOVA labs and Scorpia's unconscious form was moved into public view before Liliana vanished into the background, making it back to her trailer and through the window just in time to open the door for the production manager. He had, apparently, been knocking for a few minutes, but Victoria assured him that she was asleep and was very tired due to the Jet Lag and time difference from London.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

As Liliana, she wants to use her power to right some of the wrongs and help the world return to a time before the Vanishing, a time when there was justice in the world and when heroes were revered for their good deeds, not stuck in the shadows hiding in fear.

Vices & Personality flaws

She is not above using her charm and good looks to advance the causes she is fighting for, and sometimes walks a line on the grey area of right in a world filled with black.

Social

Speech

Liliana has been heard to speak fluent English with a British, received pronunciation, accent (A.K.A. The Queen's English), fluent Russian, and basic Italian

Liliana wants to use her power to right some of the wrongs and help the world return to a time before the Vanishing, a time when heroes were reverred for their good deeds, not stuck in the shadows hiding in fear.

View Character Profile
Date of Birth
March 29th, 1987
Birthplace
Sudan
Children
Current Residence
Millennium City
Gender
Female
Eyes
Light Purple
Hair
Jet Black
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pale
Height
5'8" / 1.72m
Known Languages
Liliana has been heard to speak fluent English with a British, received pronunciation accent. She is also fluent in Russian, and can speak Italian at a basic level

It's not Pulp Fiction

Apparently, our team has been chasing these briefcases for a while. Where have I been? It seems I've been absorbed in my own world for too long. Division has acquired three out of four of these cases and have not opened them yet open due to some shenanigans surrounding them being booby trapped and probably destroying their contents by trying to open them improperly. Oh bother.   I don’t see the point of owning a motor car here in the city when I can just walk or call for an Uber, but tonight we’ve got our own personal lorry – I don’t know whose it is, but I think my boot stuck to something in the carpet, and it has the charming odor I would best describe as “last weeks’ burrito”. Just as I’m thinking for the twentieth time that our destination can’t be soon enough, The Hot Shot stops the car, and we pile out.   It's obvious we’re in the right spot, there are two Black Talons looming large over the cityscape and Chiller and Ahem seem to be putting up a fight with them. Dragon Lady hits the ground running as I’m still checking the bottom of my boot. By the time I’ve looked up, one of the Black Talons has flown down the street and gunned down both Chiller and Ahem, which snaps me back to this world. I take to the sky to get a better view and feel a cool wind at my back as I concentrate on the pilot of that Black Talon, and as soon as I feel that connection with his mind, the Spirits flow through me and flood his mind with the shame and regret of his past misdeeds. His remorse only serves to give rise to the anger within me as I get a sense of the atrocities this worm has perpetrated. I imagine the pilot’s eyes rolling back in his head and think “That was for Rocket you bloody bastard.”   The odds are very much in our favor, and Dragon Lady extends a warm welcome into unconsciousness to the agents on the scene while Ghost and I give the Black Talons the same unfriendly treatment. At some point while I was engaging with my Black Talon, Ghost made a new friend and by the time she has alerted us that Orion was on the scene, he was already buried in the roof of a nearby building. All the other unfriendly neighborhood agents are out, so I ask Dragon Lady and the Hot Shot to grab the briefcase and the badly injured agents and get them in the car and get out while Ghost and I deal with Orion.   I can’t see where he went, even as I get closer. I keep closing and still can’t see him – it appears he’s erected an opaque barrier and I realize that’s why I can’t locate him. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and trust the Spirits to guide me to enact their retribution. His mind resists, but he will yield, and he will break; the Spirits clamour for him to pay for his past actions. The Spirits’ focus shifts abruptly and I’m seeing a vision across the sky as the “Starbird” is flying in – I must have caught a news article about it, because I know this is the vehicle “The Ultimates” travel in. I notify the team, and Dragon Lady and The Hot Shot get the car moving as I’m trying to get to Ghost, who breaks free. We’ve got what we came for, and she nearly breaks the sound barrier flying straight up as I kick the metaphorical spurs on my Spirit host – while not nearly as fast as Ghost, it’s still fast enough to get me out of there.   We get the fourth briefcase base to base and get them all together and they open on their own; thankfully with no explosion. If you’ve ever imagined what Vincent and Jules saw when they opened their briefcase, I can tell you that whatever you imagined was causing that golden glow was much more impressive than what we found. It was literally a scrap of paper covered front and back in scientific formulas. There were a few symbols and notations I recognized from my studies in physics and astronomy, but beyond those tiny snippets, it reads in circles to me. I’m not sure this was nearly worth dying for, but the resistance agent nearly did, so hopefully this means something to somebody, and they can figure it out in time for it to be of use to us.

Remembering Rocket

The news Socrates and Sparks deliver to the team hits me hard - what dreadful news! A fine man, one whom I considered a friend, is gone. He was there for me when I needed help, and I for him.   He's gone.   He's Vanished.   I didn't get to say goodbye, but hopefully wherever his spirit is, it knows he made a difference and left the world a better place for having him. I don't truly know Sparks, but I know he and Jerry were close. I offer my condolences and a warm hug - it's not much, but it's really all I've got. Afterward, I stand there silent, a little awkward not having more words - I only have tears left. I can't even get angry right now, because like Dr. Banner, "That's my Secret (Captain): I'm always angry". That feeling hasn't abated in the months since Uncle Edward and Aunt Katharine were executed. I shuffle to the base exit, transform back into Victoria and walk into town.   I walk without purpose.   I walk aimlessly.   I pass through a section of town I'd been in recently; I was here with Jerry not that long ago for lunch. The Indian restaurant is closed now, it's owners run out of town by Destroyer agents. I still remember his giant smile as he held up a giant bag of carryout, even after everything that happened. I keep wandering, walking by dozens of restaurants and I wouldn’t hesitate to guess that Rocket ate at every single one of them. I don't know how long I've been out here, but eventually one smell hits me, and it smells delicious . Maybe I've just gotten hungry, but it's just delightful. I enter an authentic Italian restaurant even though pasta is not exactly on my diet - I can't help myself. I get a table for two and tell the waiter that I'll order anyway - a Branzino and single glass of white wine for myself and a family platter of Pasta Bolognese for the table. I dine quietly, thinking back over the memories of my friend, the things that made us laugh, that made us smile, and where he might be right now. When the waiter comes by after I've finished and asks if I'm still expecting one more, I tell him that “no, I don't think he's coming”.   I get a giant carry out bag and smile broadly knowing someone would approve.

The Enemies and Sight Within

I haven’t really had a positive experience in the danger room before, but now that Jerry, Sandcrab and Socrates have made some updates to it, I’ve been convinced to try it again. They’ve made it, arguably, worse as far as I’m concerned – Now you need to be hooked to a machine to simulate reality. Having Tank download a helicopter piloting program into Trinity’s brain makes for a great bit of science-fiction, but if The Matrix is the best-case scenario of what can happen, who really wants random bits of who-knows-what inserted directly into their brain? Has nobody seen the Emoji movie?   Had I known this in advance, I might have declined and just watched, but my participation was required to make the teams even. We broke it down and decided that tonight it’s the blokes against the ladies. Shamrock is here, which adds a bit of pleasant eye-candy to the evening. He has a charming way about him, and he’s flashing a wicked smile, so I find myself laughing with him even when he suggests that his team will be “shirts” vs. our “skins”. I swear he winked at me when he said that. Hmmm… maybe… if he plays his cards right.   We’re in and I know to expect to get off slow, especially since Rocket is on the other team. Sure as a grey day in London, he is the first to strike, but I didn’t see him. My first indication he was even there was the bolt of lightning that blasted Dragon Lady, who was standing next to me. Maybe Rocket and I are close enough that he didn’t feel right about hitting me, so he chose Dragon Lady for.. reasons? I know that wouldn’t feel good, but I’ll show him what he gets for picking her first – I command the Spirits to show him all the choices he regrets in his life. Whether that includes our afternoon of Indian food, I don’t know, but when I knock him silly and stop him cold in his tracks, I’m sure one recent regret was choosing to attack Dragon Lady instead of me.   I’ve never faced Max before, so I didn’t know what to expect, so I’m surprised when a ball of electricity explodes between Dragon Lady and I, taking my vision and my hearing from me; the world has gone white to every sense that would be useful to me. I start lashing out blindly, hoping to accidentally hit, but the unexpected happens. As I’m commanding the Spirits, my world of white begins to coalesce into hazy purple images in my mind. I don’t understand what is happening, but it seems as if the Spirits themselves are sharing their own senses with me, and a world devoid of every colour but purple slowly forms in my mind’s eye. The purple haze is a gift from the Spirits I never had need of before losing sight and hearing to Max’s electric blast. Just as I’m starting to understand this sense, we’re pulled out of the Danger Room. Obviously, we won, because I never took even a single hit.   “What do you mean there were Destroids?” was about all I could get out before the technical people wade waist deep into trying to figure out this mystery. I look over and decide I can be of most help by bringing Rocket some Scooby Snacks.

… to the Hibachi (to the washroom…)

This is what I remember my old life being like. It’s just another Thursday afternoon and I’m sitting at a rooftop restaurant table, enjoying a plate of masala hibachi rice with lovely company. Jerry knowing the owners certainly got us overly generous portions, and Jerry just has a look on his face that says, “challenge accepted.” The muck of the things I’ve learned and done recently is pushed down, trodden upon and stomped on - a feeling of normalcy washes over me while eating and having a nice afternoon.   Even if Jerry started by trying too hard, it’s not a date. At least as far as I know. I think nothing of checking my phone when I get a text message. I can’t even hide my surprise and joy that it’s from my father. Having recently rescued him as Liliana, I haven’t gotten to speak to him plainly since Edward and Katharine… since all that happened… He wants to talk, but it needs to be a secured line. I’m not really being rude to Rocket if he doesn’t stop eating while I do the talking, right?   It seems dad has finally figured out video calling – either leading a resistance has taught him things or he has his own IT staff to help. I recognize where he’s at: he’s in the comms center in the PRIMUS doomsday house in France. I smile knowing that they made it and got it set up. Apparently, our father daughter talks are no longer limited to who’s hosting Christmas and birthday wishes, but now we discuss resistance fighting, safe houses, moles, and tracking leaks. So much for casual conversation. One thing that’s clear through his pain and grief is that he’s still my father, wants to look out for me, and keep me safe. If only he knew… I might have to text him to let him know I am still okay, because he clearly saw the attack helicopter over my shoulder just before I did. Looking over my shoulder, I was probably too casual when I hung up on him, but the whirleys appearance has turned me right cross as my day off disappears nearly as quickly as the first two plates that were put in front of Rocket did.   Even more fun arrives as NAGA agents drop down onto the roof and a loudspeaker announces they are here for the restaurant owners and it turns out this is a theme with Rocket. It would seem the options of either eating or not eating are equally dangerous for him. Those NAGA agents overhear us seeing if anyone on our team is available and I can barely convince them it was just for my bodyguards. It seems not doing a movie in a while has got me rusty, or maybe I’ve been too reliant on the confidence boost I get while being Liliana. Either way, one of the agents won’t take his eyes off us, even as Lyzen appears at the far end of the terrace and is nearly immediately gunned down by the helicopter. We can’t just change while he’s staring right at us, so I make the same face my father did when he saw the helicopter, point, then cover my face. It’s only a split second, but that’s all Rocket needs as he grabs me, and we fall through the floor into the Men’s washroom. Rocket is already off, but I need a moment to change and power up. He normally makes me look slow, but between him and Lyzen, they have the fight handled before I can even crack a window to get out. I transform back to Victoria and leave the washroom, making the bloke about to walk in do a double take to check he isn’t about to walk into the lady’s washroom. I flash him a smile and just keep walking.   Jerry makes haste out of there, like the dinner bell was rung several counties away, but we meet back up at homestead. He fills me in on what I missed, and I offer a suggestion - “Maybe next time, we could get takeout?”. He holds up a giant bag from the restaurant and I just shake my head and roll my eyes.

From the Frying Pan ….

My day was starting pleasantly enough - I was finally about to have a chat with Dragon Lady, whom I believe to be one of the few who share my love for a good tea. I was running through the options indecisively in my head when my train of thought drove off the bridge and landed in a fiery wreck when I turned around. Sandcrab was less than a foot from me, obviously having perfected the art of the “Reverse Batman” - he wasn’t there a moment ago. If he simply wanted me to take a survey that would be one thing, but he, again, wants to stick machines in my brain. Dragon Lady is polite and listens to his explanation, but I’m looking for any exit I can, even the smallest opening to excuse myself would be a blessing.   I don’t believe in coincidences, but some days when you throw thoughts out into the universe, it answers, sometimes with a sense of humour. Today, I will have to be careful with my thoughts, because at the height of my panic, Li’l Rocket wanders in looking for the kitchen. I call out to him to see if he can help me with “that problem I was having” …. Uh… with… my phone! It wasn’t an Emmy-winning performance by any stretch, but Rocket knew enough about what I was asking to go along with it. I rambled a quick apology about how his immediate help was needed as I led him out of there by the shoulder. I think in that instant, I was running faster than Rocket. Who’s the team speedster now boys?   Actually, that was, unfortunately, true, and turned out to be no small problem. Rocket certainly didn’t look well, his hair was disheveled and unkempt and he appeared small. Well, even more than is to be expected. He explained he had been working on upgrades to the danger room for the last twelve hours and sure, that’s a long day, but I don’t think lab work is quite that strenuous. I may not be Hercule Poirot, but after a few moments, I sussed out the connection: Rocket is always eating, had been looking for the kitchen, hadn’t eaten in the last twelve hours, and was looking like a sad balloon two weeks after my nieces last birthday party. His metabolism was eating him the same way he devours a meatball hoagie – not pretty! I rushed us to the kitchen and got him enough to eat that he wasn’t going to shrink down to Wonderland proportions, but our kitchen selection, and my own cooking leave a lot to be desired. We decide it best to take the afternoon to ourselves and have a lunch outside the base.   Having been a part of the rescue mission to Russia, he knows enough about who I am that I turn back into Victoria and explain that I don’t want to attract undue attention while enjoying an afternoon off. We agree to leave the super-tights on the back-burner, and “Jerry Vahn” suggests a restaurant in Millennium City – apparently he knows the owners. That’s always a good sign – I expect we’ll have a peaceful afternoon meal on a fine sunny day.

A second chance for some

I used to fill my free time watching films and television, favoring Sci-Fi and fantasy movies. That hobby kept me occupied, but it kept me docile. My new "hobby" keeps me much more active, and is as good of a workout as most yoga programs, with the small caveat that my recovery may require the med bay instead of my hot tub.   Thinking about those sci-fi movies - It's probably no small coincidence that the number of movies about villains trying to take over the world and enslave the human race have dropped to zero over the past years - who wants dystopian fiction when reality TV would show the exact same scenes? I don't want to give Destroyer any ideas, but I'm surprised we haven't seen something like "The Running Man" with captured resistance fighters yet. It's these resistance fighters that have me out tonight - We've received a message that there are people who need evacuation, fleeing from Destroyer. I take off with Ghost and meet the one called "The Hot Shot" en-route - I really don't know her at all, but have heard her name mentioned by a few others over the past few weeks. I'm not sure, maybe we're hiring contractors now?   We arrive to one of the areas of Millennium City that isn't quite as shiny and new as the more prominent areas. It's a derelict warehouse, boarded windows and rusting ironwork - You can spruce it up and call it Millennium City, but underneath the paint, it's still Detroit. I suppose the same could be said of any city that's had its renaissance. We land on the roof and try to keep low. It's quiet, which tells me we should be expecting a trap. Ghost spots two women looking down through the skylight, but The Hot Shot and I are spotted by a bloke on the sidewalk, and he takes off running. I fly after him to either spring the trap or to find out if he's who we're here to rescue. He's smashed into the building through one of those boarded up windows, and I feel something strange, something I don't recognize at first. Magic. Magic is nearby, and I... I get the sense that it's… a defensive spell? If I'm walking into a trap, they wouldn't be using defensive magic. I'm jarred back to reality by the sound of incoming Black Talons and make the snap decision that he and the ladies are who we are here to protect and call out to warn them of the incoming forces.   I pair with Ghost to take one down, I'm hoping The Hot Shot can handle herself when I see a Black Talon crash through the vehicle doors at the end of the building and chase after it to try to protect those inside. Our team handles the Talons with help from the people in the warehouse, especially Shamrock - a real hulk of a man from the Emerald Isle, with a charming accent to go with it. How can anyone hate the Irish? I didn’t recognize him at first as he was not wearing the costume I’d seen him in previously, and his demeanor had changed – perhaps the Shadow Queen truly did have him under a spell? As I’m pondering this change, I recognize that there are five women in there as well, all of whom radiate magic, with one, in particular, radiating more strongly than the others. They're wary of us, but I'm able to diffuse the situation after a little time with the help of a few words from The Hot Shot, and the two parties begin to feel more at-ease with each other. I discover their wariness comes from within - they had previously been directly in the employ of Destroyer. The sisters had joined with Destroyer because of threats to their family, but they were all that remained. Seeing what Destroyer had been doing, they all wanted out and Shamrock helped them escape, but they needed extraction to someplace safe. Their story strikes a newly familiar chord, and I feel a compassion for them and an urge to help.   I remind Ghost and the others that these agents may not be working for Destroyer willingly, and I think she is slightly gentler extracting them from their suits. I separate each of the agents and I give them a stare I want them to feel to their soul and point blank ask, "Are you working for Destroyer willingly?" Two macho men act defiant, spouting off about eliminating "terrorists", which just gets them entangled and thrown in the corner for a time out like children. Clearly, too much testosterone. One man though, one brave man, stutters and I know what his answer is going to be. His wife is being held by Destroyer in Iowa to conscript him into Destroyer’s service. I thank him and tell him Destroyer's internment camps are in our sights and we will get his wife out of there as soon as we can. To keep up appearances, he gets sent to the corner for a timeout as well, a bit more gently than the other two though.   With some guidance from Socrates, we are able to get Shamrock and the Sisters to a Safe-house nearby, Destroyers men will be taken to our prison, and Cypher or Sandcrab have been called to check out these Black Talon suits - apparently they have new counter-measures in them. I didn't see them, but I understand Ghost didn't like these new advances very much.   Tonight, some folks were given an opportunity to have a second chance at making the hard choice. Being able to change your conclusion based on new data is difficult; people want to hold fast to the comforts of what they already know and accept. The comfort I knew and accepted is behind me, but I'm not giving them all up just yet. Tonight, the hard choice I want to make is white or red wine, and which rom-com to watch. I should really get Socrates a Netflix subscription...

Empty Shells - Empty Threats?

Sometimes I volunteer, sometimes I am volunteered - it's ever the slightest distinction. After wrapping up the destruction of the first Education Camp, all I want to do is curl up in bed and have a good cry. The deaths of children are horrific, even to someone who deals with the recurring nightmares that I have. I want to call my nieces, Isabella and Maude, and tell them how much I love them and miss them. Instead, I am volunteered for one more mission because the Shadow Queen has the ability to go out of phase with the physical world. The team is relying on me to ensure we have a way to “interact” with her should the need arise.   Shamrock and The Shadow Queen are with us because they gave us a tip about a Destroid Manufacturing Plant we cannot simply ignore. On the best day of the week, it almost feels as if we're gaining ground against Destroyer. Even if it's only a millimeter at a time, it adds up. Of course, things are subject to change and the whims of fate. Those whims of fate are especially kind to some, and it appears Shamrock is blessed in this regard. Who could have predicted the luck of this Irishman? When we arrive at the facility, his restraints had malfunctioned and he's wide awake and has freed the Shadow Queen. I missed all the interaction with them at the camp, so I'm not sure what spell she's put him under to make him her loyal lap dog, but I simply don't see it. She's just a bitch; and even so, she's just a mediocre one at best. There are some tense moments when we arrive - I’m not sure why someone would treat others the way the Shadow Queen does, but while I can hold restraint of the Spirits, I can’t help but verbally attack her when she starts taunting Max. She ignores me, and focuses only on Max while I am silently hoping she crosses the line and I get to take her down a peg or twelve. The standoff is broken only by a commitment from all to oppose Destroyer and unite against our common enemy in the end. I may not have my eyes on them, but at the same time I won't be turning my back on them either.   We've got eyes on the facility thanks to Ghost, and Shamrock seems like he's going to honor our agreement while The Shadow Queen seems intent on playing games and being about as useful as a chocolate teapot. It's a little concerning with just how few guards are here - either Destroyer has gotten overconfident, is stretched too thin, or we're walking into a trap. I suppose it might be suicidal to go up against thirty or more Destroids, but if they don't get activated, they're just bodies of metal that haven't been destroyed by Ghost... yet. The fight could have gone very differently if we had to worry about activated Destroids and our two detainees, but it's wrapped up less than ten seconds after the first shots are fired.   Max questions the last guard and I hear him talking about the Cyberplane. I've heard that term before. The team fills me in on what we know about it being a battery or sorts. It’s revealed that these Destroids are being sent to the Cyberplane and Destroyer is storing up energy for another mass Vanishing. I truly hope I heard that wrong; it was hard to hear over the immense noise of Ghost smashing every last Destroid.

Everybody is somebody's family

Everybody is somebody's family. We all know this, but sometimes these things slip our mind in the middle of life happening. It's all too easy to see Destroyer's soldiers as the enemy, but what we've learned recently with the help of Sharp and her team is that they are also victims of Destroyer. These men have had their family members imprisoned - their wives, their sisters, their parents, and their children, all being held prisoner so Destroyer can coerce them into doing his bidding. Just hearing Sharp tell me this story, I can feel rage boiling within me. The Spirits were once somebodies’ family too, and their loss and their pain fuels my emotions just thinking about it.   I have a new "family" and I have put my trust in them due to our common plight, but it's been difficult to make a real connection to some of them. Honestly, it's been difficult to make a connection with any of them. I felt one with Aaron, but it was fleeting. As a believer in the Divine, there must be something there - why would a man in a coma tell me to protect his daughter and send me to her if there wasn't?   For the first time in a while, it feels like we aren't rushed into action. Could it be we're the ones who are one step ahead for a change? We arrive in the area that couldn't be scanned near Leonard, Michigan to find the large compound Destroyer's solider told Sharp about. It's surrounded by large machinery that Max identifies as generating a form of suppression field. I'm having flashbacks to that night I escaped one of Destroyers compounds, and if we're going to get into the compound and save anybody, those machines cannot be left standing. We have the advantage and a plan to distract them away from our location, much to Lil' Rocket's detriment. He disassembles the field generator furthest from us, but really feels the effect. So, it worked, but they send just two technicians to check it out. In the end, our plan was only slightly more effective than "no plan". Smashing it is.   I volunteer to work with Sharp to take one of the generators out - I need to know if she can handle things on her own, and I can be there in case we get in over our heads. It turns out I can channel the Spirits through the machinery in such a destructive way that it only takes one shot to disable it - perhaps their incompatibility with energy works both ways? Sharp leaps into the compound to engage the soldiers just before I can take out the next generator. I panic for a moment, but she's fine, she shrugged it off like a champ. We've identified civilians inside the compound milling about, listless and lifeless, moving slower than the zombies from the Walking Dead. Damnit, there really are children in there. What would I do if Maud or Isabella were being held like this? Would Destroyer have enough hold over me that I would do his bidding? I don't want to know the answer - for my own sake I can't have those thoughts. It's those thoughts and the radio message from Sharp that really chill me though. Sharp calls out that there's a cemetery just inside the walls.   This isn't going to end well for Destroyer - This compound is getting shut down if I have to blast it down with my last ounce of energy.

Who is Sharp(e)?

In a dream, Liliana hears a faint voice…the voice of Runeforce, "My child…please protect my child."   When she awakes, Liliana is standing next to Cypher outside the military base camp where the team defeated the military forces.   "What the bloody heck is going on here?" Liliana looks around, unsure of her bearings. She hears Dragon Lady and Sharp talking to her, but isn't sure if it's still a dream or if she's awoken yet. "I'm sorry. Were you speaking to me? The last thing I recall was sitting with Aaron in the medbay"   "Aaron? Aaron Sharpe?" Sharp snaps around to Liliana.   "Yes, that Aaron", Liliana replies before turning to see to whom she's replying.   "Why is he at medbay?" Sharp urgently moves towards Liliana, obviously worried.   Liliana turns to look at the girl before responding to her "I'm sorry, who are you?"   Cypher cuts into private channel with both Sharp and Liliana, "Careful ladies, that information is not public knowledge."   "Thank you, Cypher." Sharp adds   "Seemed like your friend landed a one-in-a-million guess based solely on a given name" Liliana quips. "To quote someone much wiser than I 'Strange things are afoot at the Circle K... '"   Liliana looks the stranger up and down, assessing the person in front of her "So, was that a lucky guess, or something more?"   "Aaron Sharpe.. I know him. Really well, actually. I haven't heard from him in awhile, but I didn't realize it was because he was hurt. I know you haven't met me before, but I'm not a stranger, I promise."   "How long has it been? If you're so close what's kept you apart?" Liliana eyes Sharp suspiciously and folds her arms across her chest   Sharp takes a deep breath, "All of my life.. Aaron Sharpe is my father." Sharp pauses before continuing, "I've been away at.. college.. and we haven't spoken much since."   Liliana softens recalling the voice in her head "oh. my. you're ... I think that's why I'm here right now ... having arrived in this strange fashion"   "Oh no.. I mean, I know you're Liliana because of Socrates, but please don't tell me you're here to arrest me.. I swear I only took the gun for protection!" Sharp backs away slowly, keeping an eye on Liliana. Sharp begins to spiral and overthink the situation, "Oh no.. oh no.. dad found out.. Is that why he's in medbay? Crap it's all my fault.. I need to leave.. but the soliders.."   Liliana reaches out and grabs Sharp by the shoulder "no!" and pulls her close - "no child, no, not at all" as she wraps her arms around her "Your father saved my life, much to his own detriment. It's hard to explain - Sometimes my dreams have weird relations to reality and in my dreams I heard him tell me "protect my child" - at least I think it was him..."   Sharp stands there in Liliana's arms, trying to process everything. "He saved you? Of course he did.. Is he okay?"   Liliana speaks softly over the private channel "If you are his family, you are as precious to me as my own, for without his help, I would have lost my parents"   "That's wonderful to hear. I'm so thankful he was able to help you.." Sharp looks at Liliana with relief. "He always told me how much he wanted to help others, and I always knew he would. But to that extent is amazing."   Liliana begins recounting recent events to Sharp, "He and Jamie were piloting the XPlore corp plane, taking a few of us to try and find my family. There was an accident with the plane, but he saved the rest of us as it was going down. Lil' Rocket got him back to the medbay. When I got back, I rushed to his side, but after everything I must have needed sleep, I think I fell asleep next to his bed. I heard his voice in my dream and then was here with the team"   "That sounds like him.. Risking everything for others. I envy that. Thank you so much for bringing him to safety. Afterall, he doesn't have the abilities you all do and would've died if it wasn't for you.." Sharp shudders just thinking about it. "Liliana, you did say he spoke to you through your dream before you came here, right? Does he know I'm here?"   "I can only speculate that he does - as I said, sometimes my dreams reflect reality, and surprise even me. I don't believe in coincidences"   "That's fascinating. Your abilities are truly incredible. And let's hope he doesn't, for if he did, I would be in A LOT of trouble.." Sharp lets out a nervous chuckle.   "I was asked to protect you..." Liliana takes a moment to truly look at Sharp, and notices the technology and weapon "if you are able to protect yourself, that makes my job easier."   "Protection.. In the past, that would've angered me" Sharp laughs.   "Your dad, he has great power..." Connecting the dots, Liliana realizes that Sharp does not know Aaron is, or was, Runeforce. Hoping Sharp will forgive her one day when she does figure it out, Liliana's words deviate from her thoughts ".. but it is exercised in a much different way - his research and discoveries are a boon to humankind"   "Dad always said I was strong, but I knew he still worried about me. I would love to fight beside you, though. Especially while I grow stronger. But yes, his intelligence and inventions are mind-blowing. I mean, my gun and suit are his!" She whispers, "Don't tell him that, though.."   "We all keep secrets, especially from those we love." Liliana tells her while making direct eye-to-helmet contact with Sharp, adding "I'm sure he would understand."   Oblivious to what Liliana is hinting at, Sharp smiles under her helmet, "I really appreciate you saying that. I could never stay away from the fight, and if my dad knew that I've gone all the way to running my own militia, he'd probably kill me before Dr. Destroyer could."   "I think many would do everything in their power to protect their loved ones. If my own experience is anything, I know your father would be proud ... even if he was yelling at you.... Wait... how old are you?"   "You're right.. And thank you. Oh, I just turned twenty a couple months ago."   "Ah, old enough to vote, still young enough to fear your parents - I do not envy you..."   Sharp laughs, "Especially if your parent is the resound Aaron Sharpe.. fun times."   "Oh trust me when I say I know exactly how that is. If you didn't know before, I am called Liliana. What's your name luv? "   "It's nice to finally meet you, Liliana. I'm Sarah, but I go by Sharp."   Liliana raises one eyebrow "Not high on the creativity list, but makes things less confusing I suppose"   "Heyy, the 'e' makes a difference!" Sharp laughs, thankful she finally made a friend.   Liliana shakes her head "Sharp" "Sharpe" - she pronounces them the exact same, and shrugs slightly.   "Okay, but no one really ties the two together until I add the 'e'. Anyone could be 'Sharp', but not everyone is 'Sharpe'." Sharp, a little flustered, tries to change the subject off of her poor name choice. "Anyway, while we're here, should we take these soldiers to my nearby resistance camp?"   Liliana chuckles aloud now "It alright, let your deeds tell your story. With or without an extra 'e'"   Sharp smiles and shakes her head, laughing at her own lack of creativity.   Liliana looks around, taking in where we are and what's happened. "I don't know what transpired here, but if you have facilities for this sort of thing, then that would probably be best." She leans in close "If you're leading this, then you probably have more experience with the resistance than I do. This life is 'new' to me, thanks to your father"   "Ah, I should've probably filled you in.. My bad. Dr. Destroyer sent some of his soldiers to manage new technology in this camp, and Socrates led us to take it down. We're now going to sort out a camp in Leonard, Michigan and help find the soldier's family. And I'm not completely leading this alone, but I have a lot of experience with the resistance. Nonetheless, I'm just thankful you're with us in your new life. My father saved you for a reason."   Liliana quickly and quietly adds "twice now.. and I won't forget." before taking her turn to change the subject "Leonard? Who name's these towns?"   "Your guess is better than mine!" Sharp shrugs.   "So, a man needs his family found - that must be the connection. That's why I'm here." Liliana asks "Do we think it's some sort of prisoner camp?"   Sharp Explains "I believe so. I think it's also allowing Dr. Destroyer to have a form of blackmail on his 'soldiers' so they won't go against him. Terrible."   Liliana bristles, purple energy swirls around her "That bastard is digging his own grave deeper by the act and one day, the Spirits will have their way with Destroyer"   Cypher chimes in again. "Perhaps we should open up to general Comms now? in case others want to participate?"   "Sounds good, Cypher. Thank you." Sharp confirms   Her inner monologue about Destroyer interrupted but not forgotten, Liliana agrees "Let's save his family"   "Gladly."   "By the way... where are we right now?" Liliana checks her outfit and pulls out her iPhone to check the GPS location   "We're outside Millennium City" Sharp responds as Liliana fiddles with her phone   "oh... " Liliana nods "I see that now - at least I'm not too far from where I started." Turning to Cypher, she asks "I need to know - were you messing with me when you said my phone preferred to be called 'Daphne'?"   Cypher looks at Liliana, "Machines have feelings too, Daphne agrees..."   Liliana gets a pained expression on her face as she rubs the cracks in the screen of her phone before putting it away. "Just don't believe everything she tells you, okay?"   "No promises," Cypher replies, unsuccessfully keeping the humor out of his voice.

From Russia ... Interlude

Liliana arrives back to the base from Russia after dealing with her own parent’s safety, and runs quickly to the med bay, forgetting in her haste that it would undoubtedly be faster to fly. She finds Runeforce’s bed and launches herself over to it. "Oh my god... " she says to his prone body in the med bay looking quickly at the dials, gauges, and meters, but having no clue what any of it means other than the heartbeat monitor, which she looks at puzzlingly.   Tears roll slowly down her face as she chokes up a bit "You rescued me... you changed my life... now you're here because you were helping me... This... this is my fault..." she stammers through sobbing breaths.   She's wordless for a bit, only the sounds of soft crying and the slow beeps from the machine echo off the metallic walls of the med bay. She reaches out softly, touching the glass covering Runeforce, adding "You saved all of us and, in turn, we got to my mum and dad just in time to save them. I don't think the words 'Thank you' are strong enough for how I feel."   Liliana summons the Spirits to grab a chair from across the room and it slides smoothly under her just as she sits down onto it. Liliana looks through the glass of the med bay with searching eyes and asks "What did you see in me? Am I supposed to carry on what you were doing? I can try, but adversity is not something I have much experience with...." she trails off to a whisper "The easy life was handed to me"   Liliana sits with Runeforce for a while before breaking the silence to ask, "Do you remember the last thing we talked about?" she pauses, wiping her cheeks with her fingers and sighs deeply. "It was Elon. He's the billionaire space pioneer who asked me to marry him." She looks at Runeforce, who has no reaction "Yeah, I feel the same - no words. I don't know why I told you that, but it was charming that you had to ask if you had proposed to me at some point." she lets out half a laugh.   Liliana continues to sit with Runeforce until she finally dozes off to sleep, the past 24 hours finally catching up with her.

Thoughts on family - Brother Frederick

After the death of uncle Edward and aunt Katharine, and our trip to Russia, my thoughts have turned introspective on my relationship with my family members. One of the most important people in my life is my brother "Freddie" - in a world like this, are there still some happy endings to be found?   I remember my first TV acting role. It really did change my life, and the life of my brother Freddie. It did not seem so immediately, but ultimately led to a moment where the direction of your life could have gone very differently had it not happened.   I was only sixteen at the time, and I was playing "Angela" in an episode of Poirot called "Five Little Pigs". If you haven't seen this show then you must not be British - it was on for over twenty years, and David Suchet as Hercule Poirot solved every Agatha Christie mystery that came his way. Also in that episode was a girl named Sophie Winkleman - Sophie was playing the adult version of the same character even though there was only seven years between us. Because we were age differentiated versions of the same character, I didn't have even a single scene with her, but we were in makeup together every day of shooting for them to give us Angela's unique scar. I won't spoil the episode, but I could have been the murderer... or maybe not. Sophie was somewhat new to film and television as well, but had done four or five other shows already, and she could tell I had the nerves about me because she had been in my spot not that long ago. She was very nice to me, offered some advice to me, and helped me through those early days and put me at ease. I was so happy to be there and have this experience and I will always be grateful to everyone involved, especially Sophie.   Freddie, in contrast, really did not want to be there - he was twenty-three and in-between schools at the time, having finished at Oxford, and about to start law school, so mum put him on "babysitting duty" as he called it. He complained that he had better things to do and tried everything he could to get out of it. He really thought it was beneath him to sit around all day waiting for his kid sister to do her acting thing. Mum would have nothing of it of course, and she always got her way. I would never say it aloud, but mum truly is well deserved of that "Princess Pushy" title, even if most people are using that title to refer to Meghan Markle after Samantha's book came out.   Truthfully, spending all day on set is not as glamorous as people make it out to be. It's a long day filled with short bursts of work broken up by long deluges of waiting and watching. The first day or two, Freddie kept himself occupied and away from the action, but then on the third day, I noticed him hanging out watching more of the filming. Looking back, I don't know why it came as such a surprise to me; after all, the cast for most of the filming involved four stunning women, all of whom were his age or just a few years older. As much as I didn't want to admit it, Freddie has always found a way to keep himself in the company of girls and whether it was his personality, his title, or some combination of the two, they usually found him charming. I confronted Freddie about it on the way home that night and told him I could see what he was up to. He was adamant that he was simply making friends, passing the time, and they were all just having a good time. This was where I made my first mistake - I told Freddie I didn't want him to ruin things for me, and to stay away. Of course, the last thing he was going to do was listen to his sister, especially when there were pretty girls involved.   Filming stretched on for a number of days, this "episode" was as long as any movie and required just as much time to complete. Along the way, Freddie had made it his mission to score a date with one or more of my co-stars, and he made no secret of it. He seemed laser focused on two co-stars: Rachel Stirling, who played Angela's mother, or Julie Cox, the mistress and bad girl of the story. Judging from what I could overhear while Freddie was helping himself to craft services was just how little interest Julie had for such a "young puppy-dog of a boy", and that Rachel was dating someone seriously - a rock musician of all people. I did like Rachael, and we did bond over odd things in common like being able to speak Russian and our interest in horse-riding, but it was all very superficial. Superficial would have been perfect for Freddie at that age as he was almost exclusively into clubbing and the party scene. What went unnoticed by both of us was how pleasant Sophie was to him, and the big smile she always had when he was about. If Freddie could catch a hint, he'd have gotten that date, but apparently, he hadn't given her the consideration she was giving him.   We wrapped the shoot eventually and went our separate ways. Sophie said we should keep in touch, but that seemed more like something you said, but didn't follow through with. We did chat a few times, but those times became less frequent and eventually we stopped and lost track of each other with overly busy schedules. A few years went by, and I did some more shoots while balancing work and university while Freddie finished law school. A few days after St. Trinian's London premiere, I got a message delivered through my agent "Congratulations. You were spectacular. Catch up?" It was from Sophie and included her phone number. I dialed her right away, and it was as if we had never stopped talking. I ended up inviting her over for a movie night that Friday and it turns out she's a geek for movies, almost as big a geek as I am.   Order of the Phoenix had just come out on DVD, so it was an easy choice, and it was an amazing night of reconnecting, laughing and sharing memories and experiences. About the time we got to the part of the movie where Harry and the Order was about to battle the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries Freddie stormed in. Apparently, he had a row with his friends over plans for the rest of the night, and had to find his own way home... Back before Uber and Lyft, even. Horrifying. To say he was in a foul mood when he came in to tell me about his night would not do justice. He assumed I was alone as he angrily yelled out to me "Tori - bloody hell, you'll never believe where that prat Roger abandoned me tonight...". When Sophie and I popped our heads up over the sofa, I could see his face flush, and he changed all shades of red colors, looked at his feet, and stammered a muted apology. I couldn't help but laugh, and Sophie was grinning broadly, but she surprised me when she spoke up and said "It’s alright Freddie, Roger must be an absolute git." After an awkward stare from Freddie as he tried to place her face and voice and figure out if he knew her, she added an almost flirtatious "Care to join us?" Between Freddie and I, I don't know whose mouth was further agape. If this was what I expected to be the most surprising part of the night, I was totally ill-prepared for what happened next: Freddie found his manners, politely accepted the invitation, and even offered to refresh our drinks.   While Freddie was fetching fresh drinks, Sophie was smiling at me like the cat that swallowed the canary. It took some quick prodding, but I got her to finally confess she had a bit of a crush on him since those first days on set of Poirot but hadn't acted on it out of respect for our new friendship. The surprises just kept coming, but this one... This one was... welcome? In that briefest moment, if Sophie could manage to charm Freddie into using his manners with a simple smile and request, maybe there was something there. I reasoned she wasn't going to let Freddie walk over her. Hell, she might even be good for him, and I let her know she didn't need my approval to go after Freddie, but she had it regardless.   Freddie's return was where the night became a blur of conversation, laughter, smiles, and stories and the screen we watched was not the only place magic happened that night. That night I saw a side of my brother that I was neither accustomed to, nor expecting to see. As the days went by, I waited for the magic to fade, but, if anything, it grew stronger and stronger. I eventually stopped waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it was just sixteen months later that he asked her to marry him and become "Lady Frederick Windsor". He's never seemed happier than when he's with her, and now, years later, they're even stronger together as a family with two daughters: my nieces, Maude and Isabella. I've confirmed that she's not a witch thanks to my own “insight” but that first night in the theatre room, I was certain Sophie had cast a love spell on Freddie. It may not have been an actual spell, but if was, it's components were charm, a warm smile, understanding, compassion and love; the purest kind of love spell.  

To Russia ... finally

I'm just done - we've been waylaid and laid low for long enough. We need to be in Russia now! I finally hit my breaking point and tell Rocket that we're just going to have to go via the Rocket Express. Turns out the drones we were worried about appear to have disappeared, and that was all we were waiting for. Okay, so maybe patience isn't my strong suit. I need to get a reign on it, because I think my strong suit has become anger. Someone much older and much wiser than I taught many of us that anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering, and yes, that is the path to the dark side... Also, don't believe their lies - they do not have cookies.   It's literally a blur - he travels so fast that one second, you're on the outskirts of a small town in France, and the next you've arrived in yet another small town, but now you're in Russia. I won't lie, I closed my eyes, and it's a bit of a blessing the in-flight service on the XPlore plane got cancelled because I thought I was going to lose my lunch anyway.   We must be in the right spot, because when we arrive, the place is crawling with military hardware. Helicopters flying nearby and tanks rolling through town. Okay, what the hell am I going to do against a bloody tank? I am so getting an arse-kicking tonight - If I make it out alive it's going to hurt so bad my ancestors are going to feel it. Sandcrab identifies an underground bunker where he guesses the troops are gathered and disappears underground to check it out. Lyzen tells us she will handle the tanks, and, well, that's a bold statement from somebody who couldn't even think straight when we were in France. It's a better plan than I've got for the tanks, so I don't complain. I guess I'm in charge of the Russian airspace, and I catch them by surprise. I don't even hesitate as I look that pilot in the eye from just outside the canopy of his mechanical beast and unleash the spirits to assault his mind. What did Goose call it? "Keeping up foreign relations" - nothing like a giant middle finger to the mind as the Spirits rend it apart and I see him slump across the controls. Victory is short-lived as the man sitting next to him is also able to control the helicopter. I should have just done the same thing to him, but I am frustrated and afraid we're too late, and the anger takes over. I scream at the pilot in Russian to try to intimidate him into bugging out to save his own life, but apparently, he's just not impressed and gives no indication he's going to listen. I unleash the Soul Train against the helicopter, pummeling it with spiritual energy and send it spinning off into the distance a bit before it stabilizes.   I should take a lesson from the Batman movies from 20 years ago and mind my surroundings, because helicopter number two bears down on me and nearly shoots me out of the sky. That lucky sod! He presses his advantage while I'm still reeling, but I'm able to englobe myself with a wall of spirits, which is enough to stop his machine gun fire. Bad goes to worse as the first helicopter has had enough time to come back around for a strafe, and I'm pinned down between them. When a barrage of machine gun fire breaks my globe of spirits, I get the distinct feeling I'm not getting out of here alive. I'm bruised and my ears are ringing, but I'm not bleeding and if only I had a moment to catch my breath. They say it's better to be lucky than to be good - Today I say it's better to have friends than to be good. As I'm ready to throw in the towel, Sandcrab comes out of nowhere, and takes out one of the helicopters, somehow forcing it into a crash landing. For a moment, I consider the lives of the crew, but the throbbing in my side and chest reminds me I can't save anyone if I'm dead. Sandcrab, you beautiful bastard, you gave me the opening I needed. "Jesus, take the Wheel" is the lyrical inspiration for what comes next when I command the spirits to take the stick from the pilot’s hand and push it straight forward. Fortunately for the pilots, they're better at flying that thing than the Spirits are, but it only delays the inevitable, and that whirley bird crashes down into one of the last tanks.   Turns out the rest of the team had disabled the tanks and the soldiers, and Sandcrab had found the entrance to the underground bunker while I was playing sky-chicken with Russian hardware. The rest of the mop-up is cake by comparison, and suddenly I'm face to face with my father. I want to reach out and hug him, I want to tell him I love him and that I'm here, but I can't do that. I have to settle for dispassionately telling him that "his daughter Tori" contacted us for help, that she's safe, that she's with the Rebellion too, and that she's stronger than he may think. I've been acting for a long time, but there's no way in hell I pulled that off convincingly. Dad looked down, smiled that cocky smile of his and said a few good words that made me proud. He's leading the European resistance, and he's doing it without superpowers. That's my dad, a real hero.

Prelude - To Russia with Vengeance

Liliana finds a quiet place to use a computer terminal - she is kind of unsure how to work it, but presses a couple buttons in frustration before pounding on the metal of the console frame "Damnit - how the bloody hell does this thing work? Socrates... I... I need help" Liliana sobs quietly   Socrate’s voice is audible "Liliana, how may I help you?"   "I.. I need to find out what happened with Prince Edward of Kent and his wife. I need to know if they were framed, or if they were supporting the resistance. They're execution has to mean something - the news said something about leaked documents"   "I should be able to assist you with this research request. Internet searches are not safe outside this location without the use of a DarkR FOB. But here, we can make such inquiries without being traced." Socrates pauses… "Did you know Prince Edward and his wife Katharine?"   Liliana looks around to ensure nobody else is present before responding "Yes. They're family. Close family. oh god... " Liliana is audibly sobbing now.   The computer terminal is quickly moving through various networks using open-ended search queries. Images and text are flashing across the screen. While he is processing, Socrates speaks quietly, "I do not understand this loss in the way you must be experiencing it.".   "Of course you're not going to feel the loss - you're a bloody machine." Liliana retorts.   Socrates continues making progress through the lines of text at near instantaneous speed…but there is so much data. But he continues to speak slowly to Liliana, attempting consolation. "But, I think I am still grieving the loss of the Champions. Their absence cannot truly be replaced."   Just then, Liliana's phone dings as she receives a text message on her mobile phone with a secure link.   "I have provided a summary of results securely to your cell phone. There is a great deal of content in the report which you may want to read alone, with more privacy. However, I believe I can sufficiently answer the question you have asked. Would you like my conclusion at this time?"   Liliana places her palms flat on the console, her head down. "Sorry, maybe you are more - I really can't judge you, I don't even know you. Thank you. Yes, if you have a conclusion, I would like to hear it" She steadies herself against the console, her breath drawn sharply through her teeth.   "Your family formed an early support network of resistance cells, secretly transitioning royal guards into undercover resistance operatives. If their involvement in this operation has now become public knowledge, it is likely their operatives are also at risk."   Liliana gasps, her mouth unable to form words.   "I am available to assist you with any other queries." Socrates adds   After a pause while the results sinks in, Liliana blurts out "That means a lot of guards are likely in danger. We probably need to find out who they are and warn them or protect them. Can you determine if Edward's brother is involved or implicated? Prince Michael of Kent."   Socrates answers that "His is the other name most often associated with the myriad of shell companies which seem to be funding the resistance. As far as the guards in danger, I will search for a listing of their operatives. If I am unable to locate such a list, then it may also mean Destroyer has not yet located it."   "Dear God. Alright Socrates, here we are at a crossroads... Anything in the leak about Michael's Children? Victoria or Frederick?"   Socrates is continuing to search, but without success. "There are significant records on these individuals, but nothing associating them directly with the resistance. I have located some tangential possibilities, but nothing that would convince a court of…" Socrates stops before completing the sentence.   Liliana lets out a deep breathe and finally breathes again. "At this point, I have another ask of you. I need to be here to help out, and I want to find the source of the leak. I need a way to get here, and a way to communicate with the New Champions, if they'll have me. That bastard did this to my family - there's no way I can stand by doing nothing"   "Of course, Liliana. Just a moment, please." Socrates is silent for a few minutes until his voice returns with a request, "Would you please join me in the Comm’s Lab? I have something to give you." Socrates asks with a tone of finality.   Liliana makes her way to the Comm's Lab and waits for Socrates.   "Thank you, Liliana." He pauses. "Do you intend to protect life? The New Champions consider the willful killing of our enemies as a line - not to be crossed, if at all possible."   Liliana nods "It is the choices we make and our actions that define who we are. What is right is not always easy and killing is not the way I choose."   A small metal drawer opens in the wall, nearly invisible prior to this moment. "Please take one of these tokens, it will protect your mobile phone communications and connect you directly into the New Champions comm-link. This token is unique and should not be shared or mentioned outside this group. While in your possession, it also protects your internet traffic." The drawer contains two small, round devices side-by-side. They are the size of a small flash drive, covered in a protective material. They both have a small red LED on the bottom.   Liliana reaches into the drawer to retrieve the device and examines them "I just need to have one of these with me, or do I need to do something else with it?" she asks.   "Yes, just have it near you. I will activate it now." The LED on the device turns green.   Liliana secures the fob inside her outfit for now. "Thank you Socrates. I don't know if it will mean anything to you, but sorry for calling you just a machine - if you can feel the absence of the Champions, than it's possible you are more than the sum of your parts - like Data from Star Trek."   "I accept your apology, Liliana." Socrates pauses... "I’m not familiar with this reference, was this one you refer to as ‘Data’ a relative of C-3PO?"   Liliana blinks and puts her head into her hand and is silent for a moment "Please tell me you've developed a sense of humour"   "This is my best attempt, Liliana."   "Oh thank goodness - I am not ready for a Trek/Wars fight with a ... with you." she shakes her head with a small chuckle.   "One last thing I am still struggling with - Since the execution, my .. Prince Michael and Princess Michael have been unreachable. I'm concerned for their well-being, especially given your findings. If you've got cycles to spare, could you look for any indication of where they are or if they're safe?"   "Yes, of course, Liliana." Socrates is silent for a few moments. "According to private travel records, Prince Michael and his wife appear to have flown to St. Petersburg and were quickly taken by official transport to a small town in the countryside. Are you familiar with this location? Or should I continue gathering information?"   Liliana thinks for a bit "No, not at all - I don't know of any homes or businesses he would have in the countryside. That's probably a good thing."   "Also, you may utilize the XPlore Plane to travel. Either Runeforce or Fazer will need to join you on the plane, along with any of the New Champions from whom you may request assistance. Welcome to the team."   Liliana lets out a breath and a small laugh comes with it, and some small tears "Thank you. Thank you for giving me hope."

The Awakening

The nightmares are supposed to stop when I wake up.   What happens when being awake is more terrifying than being asleep? This world is upside-down, cruel, and backwards and every fiber of my being tells me to lash out.   I cannot get the vision of my own Uncle Edward and Aunt Katharine on that stage. They're there, they're chained, like monsters, and executed to the cheers of an audience. I know it's been bad before - What has society become? Have I just been asleep as these atrocities happened around me, or was it that I was just too afraid to stand up for what's right?   "Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing."   I have power, and if I do nothing to stop them, my passivity makes me just as guilty as the monsters who commit these atrocities.   That ends. That ends NOW!   The spirits want vengeance, and I will not deny them.  

A Bit Worse For Wear?

I really did not like what had happend and I really did not like lying to Sandcrab. It wasn't the "Danger Room" that was giving me bad vibes, it was the thoughts in my own head.   Sandcrab seems to be unphased by our little test, but I'm not so lucky. I've never pushed my Agonizing Remorse like I did during that session. Hell, I've never hit someone with it more than once or twice and Sandcrab simply stood there and took the assault. He asked for my help, and I gave it to him; five times in a row until he was on the floor and I had pushed myself so hard I gave myself a nosebleed. I even have a vague memory of screaming "why won't you fall?" at him during the test - that doesn't sound like someone who's completely in control does it? Between the nightmares, my recent imprisonment, the fight with Gigaton, and being in the Rebel base, maybe that's just the rage of the Spirits showing through. Their rage has always been there, bubbling, just under the surface, but I was always able to keep it controlled. After having let loose so furiously recently, it's risen to the surface, and has become more dangerous, more powerful, and more difficult to keep reigned in. Maybe Socrates has a Yoga program I could use to reclaim some peace? The thought of a computer doing yoga at least gives me a slight smile.   I had aspired to be Gandalf, but today I'm feeling more like Bilbo, coping with the powers of the magic around my neck and the thoughts that come with it. If it comes to it, will I be able to keep control or will I go full Saruman? Damn, Christopher Lee was always a great antagonist - he was a legend, and I regret never having to gotten to work with him.   I wonder who around here would watch a Lord of the Rings Extended cut marathon with me?

Sandcrab asked for it... really!

Liliana receives a request from Sandcrab, "Might you have time to aid me in the Danger Room?"   Liliana responds "You're Sandcrag, right? So many people I don't know. I do have the time, but how can I help you?"   Rex thinks *.o0O("Sandcrag", huh, that would be an interesting hero name or maybe "Cragcrab", no that's doesn't sound right. I think I'll stick with...) * "Sandcrab, with a "b" as in the decapod crustaceans. The moniker befitting my, for ease of reference, "suits" ability to scurry quickly across a surface and borrow. An understandable error, as we have not been introduced properly, except fighting against Gigaton and the Destroids." Says Sandcrab across the radio.   Unbeknownst to Sandcrab, Liliana blushes slightly, but in a charming British tone simply says "Oh, I suppose that makes sense, but you made a giant sand mess, like a proper outcropping."   Sandcrab asks "I understand you have a mental attack or sorts? I was wondering if you would be willing to attack me with it in our Danger Room?"   "Yes, I actually do, that was the radiant light between Gigaton and I. From what I can tell you, it seems the worse of a person you are, the harder it hits you, so hopefully it would just tickle. If you would direct me, I really have no idea where I'm going yet"   After brief instructions Sandcrab meets Liliana in the Equipment / Mechanical room. Most members know this location due to the fact Runeforce's Teleport Pad and the large floor door that Sandcrab used to exit and enter the base through before the Pad was installed.   "Nice to meet you officially, I am known as Sandcrab." He extends a hand.   Liliana pauses briefly when Sandcrab extends his hand, looks briefly at it before finally taking it with her own, well-manicured, polished hand. "Officially well met then. Liliana, charmed."   Shaking his hand, you notice it seems quite normal in size, no bigger than anyone else's hand. Slightly contrary to what you might expect from a "suit".   "This way." He leads along the upper catwalk toward the quarter's security door. It opens as he steps near and he offers you to step through first, standing aside, with a gesture inward, "Just to the end of this hall, where the caution floor warnings are."   Liliana will pass through the portal and follow it to the end and turn back to ensure Sandcrab is following. "Here?"   "Exactly" Says Sandcrab. Then standing beside her facing the wall he places his hand on the wall. There is a glowing outline around his hand and the soft hiss of hydraulics as the floor they are standing on begins to lower. Once it is about eight feet down a replacement floor closes overhead and the two are enclosed in a more normal feeling elevator that picks up speed for a moment then stops at what might feel like a few stories lower. An angled 'Z' door slides open to a hallway with a large, reinforced door with a fairly large computer console next to it.   Sandcrab walks down the hall leading the way, a strange sight as his four extra limbs hold him slightly off the ground using the walls, ceiling and floor alternately. "Welcome to the Danger Room Console. There is another console at the opposite entrance. These can offer options for certain training scenarios."   Sandcrab doesn't type on the keyboard as any normal person would, instead a holographic interface manifests and he swipes and pulls at files, eventually completing his work and hitting, "Load". There are some quick mechanical sounds from beyond the door and then red warning lights above the door begin to flash and then the computer voice of Socrates, "Safety protocols disabled, authorization Sandcrab accepted." the door opens dropping away into the floor, revealing a very large empty room almost the size of a football field with a door on the opposite side.   Liliana follows along, half watching what Sandcrab is doing and nods in understanding when he explains about the consoles. "Is all this necessary? We could have done this in the hallway. I suppose now you go stand in the middle of the room and we test?"   "Correct. I've turned off the safety protocols because otherwise they would separate us if I became endangered, however by my calculations the results I require cannot be documented unless the threat from you is real." says Sandcrab, walking into the room.   "Alright. I guess the game is afoot. Do I need to stand anywhere in particular? I'm ready when you are." Liliana begins to glow soft purple at first, and then several moments later is encompassed in a shimmering suit of translucent purple armor   "I will do my best to resist your psychic attack. The danger room and my suit are recording now. For this to work, you will have to knock me out. Once I am down, take me to Medbay one if I don't recover a few seconds afterward. It is all set to receive me if needed." He pauses. "Go ahead, take me down." Finishes Sandcrab taking a defensive stance.   "Do you want me to start slowly, or go straight for full power?"   "Break into it slowly, I don't know how powerful you are?" Says he.   Liliana flashes a wide smile, and her eyes glow a bit brighter "You got it. I'll give it a little oomph. I do hope I remember where the med bay is though."   As Liliana focuses on Sandcrab, a purple energy swirls about her head, and traverse across the floor instantly enveloping Sandcrab in the same shimmer surrounding Liliana. About that time, a wind from nowhere swirls around her, her hair blowing wildly   A slight tremor crosses Sandcrab, taking a breath.   "Harder!"   Liliana nods and focuses, the tendrils of purple energy flare from her eyes and they are again both surrounded in the purple energy swirls   "I don't like it, but...HARDER!" He says, his limbs gripping the floor of the danger room.   Liliana flares "This is the worst it gets - if it just tickles, you must not feel anguish over your actions". Lashing out again, a wave of remorse over anything Sandcrab has done and regrets or was questionable in his life befall him at this point. The purple energy flares around Sandcrab, he reals back grunting in pain and drops to his knees slouched.   He breathes deep and stands, "Again, push it!"   Liliana growls "What do you think I'm doing over here? Does this look like ballet to you?"   Sandcrab reals back taking the hit but still standing, rocky on his legs, he doesn't look like he can take another hit. "a g a i n." the word struggles from him.   Liliana takes a deep breath, her face twists from its beautiful visage to one racked with pain as she lashes out at Sandcrab "Why won't you fall??" she shouts as blood trickles down from her nose across her snarled lips   By the time the drop of blood from Liliana hits the ground; the purple energy swaths over Sandcrab, he stiffens and falls flat on his back unconscious!   Liliana had subconsciously floated aloft in the midst of this, but as Sandcrab falls over her eyes grow large as she breathes heavy, panting hard. She immediately flies to where Sandcrab has fallen covering the distance in no time. "Sandcrab? I'm sorry! wake up!" she shakes him trying to rouse him   Sandcrab groans to consciousness, "Good work. I believe, test successful, but I will take no more of that, thank you." He takes a few seconds to fully recover and then stands up, "You have been most helpful, I very much appreciate it. Now I must get back to analyze the data."   Liliana only just now realizes she's bleeding and helps Sandcrab to his feet.   As Sandcrab walks out of the room, with Liliana floating just behind him, he says "If you want to use the Danger Room, Socrates can guide you to some good training set up or you can set up your own." and as they pass the computer console one of his limbs presses the 'RESET' button and the red warning light above the door turns off.   Liliana looks down toward the floor as she responds "I think I'll steer clear of here for now - It might just be me, but I'm getting some bad energy in there" She'll land and dismiss her spiritual armor, and wander back to the random corridor she was lost in before this all started.   "You’re welcome to claim a room, most of them are not in use. I am here most of the time. My room is the last to the left at the end of the hall. But you will usually find me in the med bay or computer lab. Socrates is available 99% of the time if you need help. You have access to almost all of the base. Except the Security Systems across from the Ready room. Comms, Science and Med Labs are open to you, if you’re interested." And with that they elevate back the main floor and Sandcrab heads to the Science Lab to analyze the combat data just recorded.

The Moment the First Domino Fell

It was a surreal sight to see, and it all happened so fast. A bunker in flames. Dozens of innocents needing to get away. The countless numbers of agents, unmoving. That bastard Gigaton. The arrival of Destroids. An unknown group of powered being arriving at the last moment.   If I was at home, watching this in the theatre room, this would be a Grade-A action flick. Spoiler Alert: I wasn't at home; this was the most recent minute of my life.   Things may have been on fire, but I was still chilled by what I experienced that night. Normally when I've become Liliana, I've avoided making waves or headlines; or any real difference, if I’m being honest. At the end of the day, the bad guys are still in charge. These folks are fighting to actually make that difference, laying their lives on the line just to help others and do the right thing, and they were going back to that bunker to face Gigaton and the Destroids. I don't know if I would have gotten out of there if it weren't for them, so maybe this was going to be the moment that I act, instead of just "acting". Anyone can be made to look brave or tough or heroic in a movie. Hell, if they can make Tom Cruise an action hero, you know they can do anything with smoke, mirrors, and a hell of a lot of CGI. That night, I starred in my greatest role - becoming an actual hero.   We hopped back through the portal only seconds after leaving, so not much has changed. The five unknown powered folks were hell-bent on taking out Gigaton and wouldn't let four Destroids stand in their way. The first moments back were a blur of activity and the people I arrived with were quick to pounce on Gigaton and the Destroids, but I was slow to get moving. As this was really like nothing I've ever experienced before I was a little frozen in place. Gigaton then rained down his version of hellfire on everyone in the bunker, which really got my attention. By the time I flew up to get on top of the container that was my cage just minutes ago, Gigaton was enraptured and surrounded by the team of unknowns who were hitting him with everything they had. Just letting loose on a Destroid that was looking to ruin someone’s day had to suffice as Gigaton looked to be under control.   I thought for an instant that was actually going to wrap up easily. That thought was interrupted by Gigaton breaking free from the control he was under and shooting skyward, his hands aimed downward, about to rain down on everyone again. I didn't know who would be left standing if he did that again as it rattled most everyone the last time. I looked up in the sky at that heinous villain of a man, screamed silently in my head, and summoned forth the Spirits to make him relive every cruel, every vile, every repulsive thing he has ever done in his life, and suffer an Agonizing Remorse.   A visible mass of moving organic spiritual energy swirled around my body and tendrils of spiritual electricity flared from my eyes as they narrowed focus on their target. Then, in an instant, that spiritual energy traveled skyward, enveloping Gigaton in the same moving swirling organic energy surrounding me. The Spirits would be his judge, his jury, and his executioner that night, for his deeds were too much for his own mind to bear.   Gigaton fell from the sky, unmoving, and it felt, as if in that instant, everyone else on the field stopped for just a second to bear witness to the moment the first domino fell.   Luke didn't set out to be a Jedi, or to join the Rebel Alliance, but he knew he wanted more than to farm moisture on Tatooine. Jumping through that portal with Runeforce sent my life in a new, very different direction. I am no longer just an actress. I am no longer just a member of the Royal family. I am no longer just keeping my head down. I am in the Rebel base, they have plans to topple the Empire, and damnit, I want to blow up the bloody Death Star.

The First Second of Eternity

It's true what they say - no good deed goes unpunished. Especially since the Vanishing.   Waking up someplace dark and cold without a proper spot of tea is never how you want to start your day and standing up for what's right can cost you when you get cheeky with the wrong group. The knot on the back of my head tells me those agents had help I never saw.   I can't access the spirits; they do not come to my aid when I need them now. I've worn myself out trying at this point, and it feels like it's been a full day. After a rest, maybe something new will come to mind.   Bloody Hell.   As if being stuck in this miserable box isn't enough, the nightmares came again last night. I sound like a broken phonograph whenever I write about them - It's almost always the same theme though. Innocents crying out for help and the spirits don't answer my control and people get hurt and die while I'm unable to do anything about it. Ironically, today, those nightmares are, in fact, true, and the spirits are not answering my control. There was one thing I can vaguely remember that stands out from tonight’s nightmare that might mean something. While trying to save a woman from falling, I flickered between Victoria and Liliana, transforming rapidly between my two selves. I changed back and forth uncontrollably, almost like when my iPhone with the bad screen kept rebooting. That gives me an idea. I don't know about power dampers, but they may be attuned to the person in the cage, and they may take just a bit of time to readjust if it senses a different person in the cage, which may give me a tiny window of opportunity.   I revert to Victoria, pause, and then focus on controlling the spirits to push open the door of the cage, and transform into Liliana. There is the briefest glow of purple and a sense of the spirits before it's gone. If may not be much, but when Peter Capaldi was The Doctor, I recall the episode where he was trapped and relayed the following story:   "Every hundred years, a little bird comes!" "And sharpens its beak on the diamond mountain!" "And when the entire mountain is chiseled away, the first second of eternity will have passed!"   I remember this and take away its lesson - given enough time, even a bird can wear down a mountain. Peter was a good Doctor, and that story stuck with me, but I'll never be over David Tennant - he was _MY_ doctor when we did The Silence in the Library, and that will always be special to me.   I lost track of how many transformations I went through that day, but By George, this bird wore down the mountain enough to blast free from its cage.   I'm not out of the woods yet... actually, I appear to be in the _actual_ woods. Luckily, it's night and my eyes adjust easily enough. Even better, it's a clear night, and I can tell by the stars I'm in upstate New York - that's not where I was yesterday. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice place to visit, but I still prefer the city. Looking around, there's more containers like mine stacked, and there seems to be some commotion. It is tempting to just fly out of here, but I hear cries for help, and I’m going to help whomever I can, starting with the cage next to mine. It takes a little effort, and I communicate with its occupant to have them stand back while the Soul Train blasts open the door from the inside out, enough that it disrupts their power dampener enough that a very large man is able to break out the rest of the way. Well met Bluewave.   Together, Bluewave and I work on getting out of there, coming around corner of a hangar, another large man covered in runes gives me pause and bluntly asks who I'm with. Apparently saying you're against Destroyer is enough to make a new friend today. It's then we hear screams of help from even more containers lined up in this compound. It appears the guards are still occupied by something, or someone, else. Friends of my new friend I'm guessing? BlueWave, RuneForce and myself set out to start freeing people from the containers and have freed many of them when I'm blasted from behind and I'm down on the ground looking up. I look up through half closed eyes and barely see it's that bastard Gigaton, but he's soon knocked around by a streak of a person I didn't quite see. Runeforce helps me up, and we finish freeing prisoners when someone shouts something about Destroids and getting out of there. I'm about to take flight when Runeforce grabs my elbow and offers me a quick way out with his team.   It was a split-second decision to go with Runeforce - but what am I getting myself into? I've laid low until now and kept my profile off Destroyers radar, but I don't think I have that luxury now. Luxury. I'm missing that right about now. What I wouldn't give to just be home soaking in my jetted tub with a fresh bottle of wine and enjoying a good movie in the theatre room afterward. It sounds like that will have to wait though...
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Character
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New Champions Universe
Category
Good Guys in People
Author
Thirtybird
Publication Date
18 Aug, 2021
Creation Date
18 Aug, 2021
Last Update Date
18 Apr, 2022
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