Archive Mutants & Masterminds: The Unlikely Prophets - Light And Shadow: Hikaru/Sandra

[Charlotte]

Hikaru pedaled around on the solid light bicycle for a few hours, trying to figure out where the itch in the back of her mind was coming from. She was nearly at the point of giving up when she felt a sudden sensation of movement - suddenly the thing she was feeling out had switched places, and was much closer.

She pedaled towards it, looking up at Seattle Municipal Hospital.

* * *

Inside, Sandra Murphey waited. Suddenly she felt an odd sensation - on top of all the others - that just as there was a Darkness in her, there was a source of... Light, for lack of a better word, out there somewhere. It didn't feel dangerous. The Darkness was confused about it, in fact. The Darkness was feeling more and more confused by the minute, confused about this strange world and this strange person it was attached to.

[Radiance]

Hikari smiled as she pulled into a secluded alleyway near the hospital and the bike vanished. She emerged from the Alley and made her way into the hospital, looking to see if she could find out where the strange sensation was coming from.

[z-Gloom]

It was drawing closer. So far, Andi had kept Darkness calm by promising that the Light wasn't going to hurt them. But as it drew closer, Darkness was harder and harder to keep calm. Andi wanted to wait for Russ, but if Darkness panicked, it would take matters into its own hand. She left her number with the nurse on duty, who didn't question that the Knight had other things to do. She also wouldn't question calling a Knight with information.

Andi walked out through the door and around the side of the building. Once she was out of sight of the doors, she urged Darkness to the forefront. No point in holding it back only to have it burst forth at the wrong time. This time, she paused to take a look in the mirrored glass. Her eyes were black pools of ebony, as was her hair. The second set of arms were just behind and underneath her 'normal' ones, poking out through rips in her jacket and shirt. Her skin was pale and sallow. Monster... I look like a monster.

An image of Darkness' form flashed through her mind and Andi realized that she was a hybrid between Darkness and herself. Shuddering, she put her mind to her task - finding the source of the Light. With Darkness more apparent, Andi had better luck pin-pointing the Light - and it was back inside the hospital, working toward her through the building. Sighing, Andi found a dark shadow, pulled more darkness in from that infinite mass, and waited.

[Radiance]

Hikari sensed the Darkness leaving even as she was entering. She folowed the sensation to one of the small blind Alleyways near the hospital. She stood there, currently not exhibiting any of her light powers. She looked into the darkness of the Alley and called to whoever was there.

"I know you're there. Come out please, I want to talk." She held out her hands as she spoke, a clear sign that she bore no malice in her heart, even as the area around her seemed to brighten slightly.

[z-Gloom]

Darkness growled in Andi's mind, and it was a sound like an animal would make. It hated the light, maybe even feared the light. You're safe in me, Andi said, feeling odd at comforting the alien within her. The Light can't getting inside me, or it'd better not. Cause no end of problems...

Andi pushed out of the shadows boldly, showing herself to the glowing blond. "Talk about what?" Andi asked in her hollow voice.

Hikari couldn't have imagined what would step out of the shadow - a tall woman with pale skin and black hair and eyes, four-armed, wearing the ripped remains of a Knights Watchman uniform. Her badge looked real, and glinted brightly on the front of her uniform. She was also armed, rare unless you were a Knight.

[Radiance]

Hikari is takien aback momentarily by the figure emerging from the shadows. She does notoce the torn Knight uniform and the weapon in her hands.

"You saw it too didn't you?"

She smiles trying to be calm and collected. "TheMathemagician's message, his questions... and then you found you were like you are right?" She was projecting her own experience to an extent, but she just didn't know, and She couldn't explain how she found her way to her.

"You can sense my presence too, can't you?"

[z-Gloom]

Andi hadn't realized that she'd pulled her pistol. With a scowl, she shoved it back in the holster. Damn it, Darkness, knock it off. The radiant woman facing her was way too excited about the whole thing and that high-energy had her uninvited passenger on-edge.

"Yeah, we- I feel you," Andi said, cursing her slip-up. The last thing she needed was to have people know that she had something impossible in her. The Order had outlawed such things as Darkness, a concept that made the creature in her snort in derision.

"And yeah... I saw the weird broadcast," Andi said, "but it wasn't..." She let her voice trail off as she wondered how much to tell this stranger. The Order's policy of using citizen-spies didn't inspire much faith in others. Andi knew she was an outlaw, technically. The others had seen her, and the best she could hope for was a choice between continuing her job or prison.

Will never serve this Order. Darkness' statement was clear.

So apparently, the best she could hope for was prison.

"What happened to you?" Andi asked, gesturing at her. "What made you look like that?"

[Radiance]

"I had some guests over and we were watching TV when I saw the broadcast. They left without incident and I went to take a shower. When I got out I looked like this. It's a Far cry from how I normally look let me tell you."

"I can do other things, but I figured I should at least be non-threatening. I can use light make all sorts of things."

The whole thing was surreal. To Hikari's knowledge there weren't supposed to be any others with powers than The Order. She sighed. "I bet we aren't the only ones who saw that. If we were I'd imagine we'd already have been rounded up..."

[z-Gloom]

"Hoping the Mathemagician gets to them first?" Andi grunted. She shrugged. "I haven't heard anything about a roundup. They may only be somewhat aware of us. Which means we need to be careful, especially if we look for them. If. I'm inclined to go home and try to forget about this."

Too bad she couldn't go back home ever again. "I was on a raid and got... changed into this," Andi added. "I'm honestly not sure what to do now."

[Radiance]

"No, just wondering honestly."

She looks to the figure before her and decides tooffer the hand of friendship again.

"You can come with me."

"We can look for others together, or we can go back to my place where you can at least change into something that isn't shredded."

"It's a ways to my house and I didn't exactly drive here... But I'm sure we can get back there."

[z-Gloom]

Andi stared at the glowing woman, trying to decide what to do. "I'll need to come back," she said softly. "I have a friend here, someone who was hurt." I guess that means we're going, Darkness.

Light bad.

Chill. I'll protect you.

"So what should I call you?"

[Radiance]

"My name is Hikari. What about you?"

She smiles and waits for a name. If there was to be trust here, it would really have to start now.

[z-Gloom]

Hikari? On a blond? Someone's watched too much anime, and aping their favorite character. If Barbie couldn't give her real name, Andi wouldn't either. The problem was what to give? Suggestions? Oh, great, I'm asking the living embodiment of night for advice.

Falling Night?

Too wordy. But that's the right track. Shadowy? Gloomy?

Gloom.

"Gloom," Andi said, her eyes darting around nervously. Wow, that made me sound like a total retard.

[Radiance]

Hikari nods. "Gloom it is then. Do you have any way to cover up? Your form is going to draw some looks going across town..."

She concentrated a moment and created a pair of bikes from light that looked perfectly real and nodded to Gloom. "One for you and one form me. Like I said, I didn't drive here."

[z-Gloom]

Darkness hissed in her head at the thought of touching the light-spawned bicycles. Even Gloom found herself reluctant to touch them. "I could get us there faster," she said, rubbing all four of her hands on her pants at the thought of getting on it. "Got a landmark near your place?"

Hey, how come you can't do that with Shadows, D?

I don't feel the need to make toys.

[Radiance]

Hikari nods. "The New Options Middle school is near my home. It's only about two blocks away in fact."

[z-Gloom]

"No good," Gloom muttered softly. She thought and then nodded. "But I know a better place." She realized the flaw in her plan the moment she thought to the next step. She'd have to touch 'Hikari'.

Well, crap. Darkness growled, which sounded oddly like a cat in heat. "Here, take my hand," Gloom ordered. When Hikari took it, Gloom pulled them into the shadows around the hospital - and into the eternal darkness.

They reappeared in a dark storage room, piled high with sports drinks and cleaning supplies. Gloom released Hikari and closed her eyes, concentrating. Grumbling, Darkness receded from her and Gloom showed her shadowed form to Hikari. "This is my gym. Relax, we'll be to your place soon."

[Radiance]

Hikari nods. "I'll return the favor when we get to my home." The experience was beyond belief, being transported through shadow. Secretly she wondered if that was an ability she could mimic with light.

"That was pretty cool what you did back there."

[z-Gloom]

"Hmm? Oh, thanks," Gloom mumbled. Some social instinct triggered and she returned the compliment. "The bikes thing was pretty nifty, too." Nifty? What, are you from the fifties?

Moving to the door, she listened, then peeked out. Satisfied, she stepped out into the hallway, trying to be casual. Now they just needed to casually walk out the door.

[Charlotte]

They didn't encounter any problems worth speaking of on the way out, and soon they were back at Hiraku's apartment.

[Radiance]

Hikari went in and showed Sandra to the living room where she could see a host of paintings on the wall, most done by Hikari herself. Afterwards Hikari went to her own room to change. "There's cold drinks in the fridge if you're thirsty"

A few minutes later a shorter decidedly more Japanese woman emerges from Hikari's room and smiles to Gloom. "Since we're being honest and you showed me what you look like, it would be impolite to not do the same."

[z-Gloom]

"Oh!" Andi said, clearly startled. She's really Oriental. "Um, you can call me Andi, too. If you don't like Gloom. Though you should probably stick to Gloom in public." She tapped her Knight's shield. "I have to keep something of a low profile. Though that might already be broken. I kinda attacked my partner, to save another Knight's life."

No, we didn't. We attacked him because he was a... douche sack.

I think you mean 'douche bag', buddy.

[Radiance]

Hikari smiled. "As I said make yourself at home. You saw the Video and say you attacked a fellow Knight to save another, Why?"

"What was going on that would make you do that?"

[z-Gloom]

Andi immediately felt herself tense, like she always did when a civilian questioned the Knights. This wasn't the same, but it wasn't different enough either. "I saw the video; the other is Knight's business," she said. She was aware she'd been a bit harsh and she modulated her voice as she added, "What did you make of the video, anyway? I was working and didn't have time to think about it then, but now, it seems like the Mathemagician knew what was going to happen to me. Was it like that for you?"

Still, you remain loyal to them? Darkness asked. Why?

Because they're my family. They're my... everything.

Not anymore. We are together, and I have changed everything for you.

Already aware of that, D. No need to rub it in, fucker.

[Radiance]

"Well I had two guests from the Order over to pick up a painting that had been requested to be redone." They didn't seem to see it so I let it pass, not really knowing what to make of it. It seemed like he knew what was going to happen, and I immediately felt that it wasn't just meant for me. That's what prompted me to go out and seek you out."

[z-Gloom]

Andi sighed. "Sounds like my experience," she said. "No one else with me saw it; time didn't seem to pass while it was happening. I wonder if it was a direct download into our heads, or some kind of temporal bubble." She shrugged. "Not sure I'd know the difference anyway, but it'd be good to know what the Mathemagician can do."

That statement made her realize how far from reality she'd slipped. She was now thinking of the Mathemagician and the rest of the Order as the enemy. And they were; had she developed super powers on her own, she'd likely just be promoted. But they couldn't tolerate her having something inside of her; they'd consider it to be a security hazard, and they'd be right. She was now their enemy.

The thought was incredibly depressing.

[Radiance]

Hikari notes Gloom's shift in demeanor and frowns. "The Order doesn't look too kindly upon people with special powers just popping up does it?"

"What are your powers like? Not so much what you can do, but how do you feel or relate to them?"

[z-Gloom]

Andi stiffened, not sure she wanted to tell a virtual stranger that she was possessed by a shadow of all things. "Actually, the Order isn't usually bothered by it," she said. "You hear stories all the time about Knights getting powers and getting promoted. It's just that with the circumstances, I figure they're going to have some hard questions for me to answer. And that's the best case."

Sighing, she started to strip off her armor, assessing the damage. "Do you have some spare clothes? Please?"

[Radiance]

"Well some of my new stuff ought to fit, though it might be a bit long or loose in some areas." She went back into her room and came out with a pair of jeans, a belt and a clean blue shirt. "Here you go. You can go change in my room or the bathroom if you like."

[z-Gloom]

Andi looked at the shirt. "I don't suppose you have something in a tank top?" she asked. "I know that as a beggar, I can't really choose, but I'm just going to rip this up if I have to... come out again."

Clothing was going to be a bitch from here on out, and Andi swallowed a sigh of exasperation.

[Radiance]

She disappears into the closet and comes out with a grey tanktop that's obviously meant for her normal form. "It may be a bit small, but it's among the only ones I have." The shorter Asian woman smiled. All in all this had been a very interesting day.

[z-Gloom]

"Yeah, thanks," Andi said, looking at the stitch of cloth with dismay. It was going to be a lot smaller than a 'bit'. So she was going to look like a trashy whore who wore shirt eight sizes too small. Realizing she was being ungrateful - not to mention a choosy beggar - she smiled and added, "Really, this is generous of you."

She changed clothes in the bathroom, frowning as she stripped her armor and uniform off. She missed it already - that sense of duty and rightness. Even if it had been wrong, it had felt good.

And yeah... the shirt was way too small. She was showing her midriff, and it strained over her chest. You have zero options. Deal. She went back out and said, "Ok, one step down. Any idea on what we do now?"

[Radiance]

"Well I assume there are others out there like us that saw the message, so we could go look for them."

She looks down. "I don't think it will be as easy to find others as we found each other though."

"we can run to a store too if you want and pick you up some clothes that actually fit if you want."

[z-Gloom]

"I'm fine," Andi said, letting Darkness flow again. Holding him back was like walking around with her stomach sucked in - easily doable, but not comfortable for long periods of time. Ebony filled her hair and eyes as her second set of arms appear. Groaning, she stretched, finding the sensation of tensing and releasing her new muscles even more pleasurable than normal after their 'confinement'.

She dropped on the couch and one set of arms instinctively rested on the back while the other set propped themselves up on cushions. "Agreed," Andi said. "Aside from accessing the Knights database - which I am not going to do because it'd be suicide and I'm not likely to have access anymore anyway - I'm not sure how to find them." She quirked a black eyebrow. "Unless your light thingie can make a 'Radar of the Weird'.

[Charlotte]

... in Issue #1: A Gathering Storm