Ok, so it's been years since I've written much beyond short-shorts for children, and unfortunately, it shows. Regardless... I wrote it, I might as well post it.
This is background on Cende. This is not what she's told people about herself.
Sin's Day came awake in a rush, catching her breath as the dream ended once again. Listening in the dark, she assured herself that she was alone before getting out of bed and padding to the window. Pushing back the shutters, she stared unseeing out over the courtyards and terraces of her home, lost in thought as the cold wind blew down over the high mountains and into the room.
Come to Paragon City. The face was hers, but older somehow. More secure. The hair... her hand touched her own long hair, and she frowned unconsciously. The hair was short, modern. Not herself, then, but she had already figured that out.
Come to Paragon City. Learn what the world is about before you blindly follow Prophecy. Learn what it is to be human, before fighting to become more - or less. Make your own choices, with the understanding of what you choose. You have options - will you be Sin's Day, or Cende? The dream had ended, as it always did, with the image of a large man in a form fitting, blue, red, and white uniform.
Sin's Day settled into a meditation pose, centered in the moonlight from the window, and contemplated that not-hers face and the figure of the man until morning.
**********
"The days of the Prophecy are nearly here." The wizened old man frowned as a stir went around the table. As it subsided, he continued, "Regardless, we cannot simply begin without preparations. We must proceed cautiously in some areas, prepare the field before we can proceed to sow our seeds of chaos and order." He frowned again, as he looked at the empty chair next to Sin's Day. "Also, we must recover some of our own."
The room was quiet as the old man glowered at the empty chair, until he finally made a small noise of disgust, and motioned to a large, raw-boned woman halfway down the table. The woman tapped a few commands into the machine in front of her, and an image of a distorted, humanoid figure with spider-like limbs flickered above the table. "This is the so-called 'Lord Recluse,' leader of the group called Arachnos. In and of themselves, Arachnos is not likely to be a problem for us - they are far too busy fighting within their own ranks." The scorn in the woman's voice was evident. "However, Lord Recluse - formerly known as Stephan Richter - could become a problem, if he took offense to our activities. Fortunately, we have recently discovered the whereabouts of our missing Night." She briefly looked down the table to the empty chair next to Sin's Day, then pressed a few more buttons. A figure in shining white sprang up next to the image of Lord Recluse, and the woman smiled thinly. "Sin's Night, calling herself Silver Spyder, has infiltrated Arachnos. While she did this for her own reasons, we have made contact and confirmed that she intends to either kill or control Lord Recluse. We will let her proceed."
As she finished, the woman stood and picked up a remote. At her command, the previous images disappeared, and that of a large man in a form fitting, blue, red, and white uniform replaced them. Interest flared in Sin's Day, and she sat forward to examine the figure, listening closely to the woman's harsh voice.
"This is Statesman. He is one of the strongest supernatural individuals on Earth. He is also likely to be the first, and most difficult, of our opponents when the time comes to move. He cannot, and will not, be controlled. He must, therefore, be removed. It is entirely likely that whomever goes to Paragon City, where he and his cohorts are located, will also need to remove his inner council, and we should insure that anyone we send..."
"I'm going." Sin's Day straightened in her chair as the entire council turned to look at her in surprise. She gazed calmly through the hologram of Statesman, looking only at the wizened old man sitting at the end of the table. "I will go," she repeated firmly, not showing any outward sign of the surprise she felt at hearing herself speak.
The old man finally nodded, once. "It is decided. As Sin's Night faces the champion of chaos, so will Sin's Day face the champion of order. This fulfills prophecy." With this proclamation, the rest of the chamber sat back with a sigh, only to quickly rise and file out as the old man barked sharply, "We're done. Go back to your duties."
Shortly, the room was empty save for Sin's Day and the old man. He looked at the very young woman sitting across from him, and asked only, "Why?"
Sin's Day considered the question briefly, and responded quietly, "It is mine to do. Who better? If I am to fulfill prophecy, then I should show I am able."
"But that is not the only reason. You have more which you have not confided in me."
A brief flicker of her lips; an expression that could be charitably called a fleeting smile. "I will not always have you to confide in, I must learn to keep my own counsel." Then, sharper, "I will do this my own way, you will not hover over my shoulder to make sure I do it right."
The old man laughed, a wry, creaking sound. "I trust, however, you will allow a briefing, and for the appropriate arrangements to be made?" His creaking laugh continued as the much younger woman sighed and conceded the point to him.
**********
Sin's Day stepped off the passenger liner and into the customs terminal, listening absently to her companion chatter excitedly. Looking around, she felt a sense of satisfaction when she spied the sign spelling out "Welcome to Paragon City - Birthplace of the Hero!" It had taken rather longer to get here than she had expected, but the time had paid off. Her companion, an Indian woman returning to university, had been more than happy to earn her passage and some extra money acting as a tutor in the English language and American customs. The rest of her preparations were just as easily accomplished, if less lengthy than the trip itself, and she was pleased to note, as she looked around, that she would not particularly stand out.
She watched carefully as the customs official went over her paperwork and through her case, but he seemed genuinely unaware of any irregularities in her entry papers. She smiled at him when he handed everything back to her. "Thank you. Where would one go to register, here?"
"What, to be a hero?" At her nod, the official snorted. "See that board over there? You can catch a shuttle down to Freedom Corps headquarters there. It runs every quarter hour. We've got them from the airport, too." He grinned up at the tall, slender woman. "And, ah, you have a super day, Ms. Cende with no-last-name."
Cende nodded, and went to catch a shuttle.
**********
Cende paused after leaving the super-group records room and listened a moment. The two Freedom Corps men in the office were talking, and it was frequently worthwhile to hear what they had to say about the groups she was looking into. Today, however, she was surprised.
"Man, I wish I could get her number. Looks like Irish, talks like Indian, and she's tall enough to dance with!" That was Frank, who frequently complained that the girls he knew were all too short.
"She also lives like a nun," responded Teddy. "I helped her move out of temporary quarters and into an apartment south of Hyperion Way. Place is a basement studio, and she's got next to nothing in it."
"Ooh, hey, if you know where she lives, would you show me? I could bump into her sometime... Hey, what'd you hit me for?"
Cende shook her head and moved off. Frank was a flirt, but he wouldn't bother her. That was, she had discovered in the three scant months she'd been in the city, one of the advantages of working with Freedom Corps - the people working in the offices were very supportive, very friendly, and very understanding of their registered heroes. Finding an open conference room, she settled at the table, and gazed down at the detailed files she'd requested.
Star Patrol. From everything she'd heard and read, this was the group most likely to give her a certain amount of freedom in her movements, while still getting closer to her target. Now, to figure out how to make contact....
**********
Cende woke up abruptly as the dream ended. She lay quietly for a few moments, before getting up and crossing to the small altar on the far wall. Moving surely in the dark, she lit a single candle, then sat on the floor to meditate.
At least the dreams have changed, she thought.
Now it's just him. She firmly dismissed the thought that she might be obsessed, along with the concern that killing him no longer seemed like such a good idea.
She had an interview in the morning after all, she needed to get her rest. Failing that, she should at least work on her mental disciplines.
**********
Cende waited in the Hyperion Way Park, sitting on a bench under a tree and watching a group of Hellions bragging to each other. As long as they didn't bother anyone, she would leave them alone - and besides, she was waiting on someone. Derek Amberson at ELITE had proven the key to the Star Patrol; at her request, Derek had written a letter of reference and introduction to Agent Bowman. Several emails later, he had agreed to send someone to meet with her.
Abruptly, she realized that the Hellions were yelling and running towards her. She spun off the bench, prepared to deal with them, when their panic penetrated. As they ran past her, into the basement of a nearby building, she looked around in confusion for what had spooked them. A siren shattered the air as she belatedly realized the war walls were down, and a ship flickered into existence one street over.
That figures. I finally get to this point and the Rikti interrupt. Well, whomever is supposed to find me can find me near City Hall. At least, I think that's where Derek said people gather in Atlas for this sort of thing. Cende set off at a sprint, not entirely sure what she was heading into, but very certain that it was necessary.
