SFU's Fan Fic Archive

She sliced through empty space.

Wide-eyed, she halted. A dumbfound expression decorated her face as she momentarily wondered where Ramnarine had disappeared to. She did, however, feel something strange during her failed assault, as if a frigid wind had suddenly passed through her body.

"Behind you, Demona," Max announced, now both standing in the lobby. She crouched low to trip kick him, but her sweeping leg missed as he leaped over it - and her, standing over her as she stood again. She threw a punch straight for his smug face, but he easily swerved his head out harm�s way. To make up for it, though, she added a quick right hook with the remaining, previously idle fist.

Missed again.

Frustrated, Demona put all her weight behind an uppercut, one that never connected. Ramnarine swung back, watching humorously as the fist traveled upwards past him, "you�ve got potential, �Miss�. Maybe this wasn�t such a ba- hey!" she caught him by the shoulders. Using her superhuman strength, the gargoyle hurled him clear across the mansions wide lobby, straight on a crash course for an opposing wall.

Ramnarine knew better than to allow himself to be plastered so early in the game. As he traveled through the air, he somersaulted into a ball, vertically crouching down on hands and feet as he impacted with the wall with a controlled slam. Without hesitation, he launched from one perpendicular surface, 60 meters to another one (being the wall that housed the entrance to the music room). His opponents were stunned as they watched him insanely boomerang back and forth across the room, all the while, ascending.

"Incredible�he�d make a spectacular acrobat," MacBeth joined the Gargoyle in the Lobby.

"Forget about that, and find something to nail him with!" she commanded, "A place as big as this must have an armory or a weapons-"

"Knowing what he used on Jasmine, I�m certain of it," he agreed, "what will you do in my absence?"

"What else? I�m going up there," she widely smiled, showing her fangs. Going their separate ways, he charged towards the stairway while she tackled a wall. Digging her lethal claws into it, Demona scaled upwards until she was high enough to attack the "Ricocheting One".

�She�s determined, I�ll give her that�� Max enjoyed the fact that he was going toe-to-toe, or more accurately, "toe-to-claw", with a capable adversary. But he didn�t want to hurt her if he didn�t have to, knowing whatever pain he caused her would affect MacBeth as well.

Demona waited for him to leap from the opposite wall, and once he did, she made a "beeline" for him. Max knew she had the advantage, using her wings to glide through the air, while he only had momentum guiding him. He acted fast; at seven feet distance between them, Ramnarine broke out of his "cannonball" somersault and rocketed towards her like a cape-less "Superman", his arms outstretched. Before she could react, he snatched onto her shoulders, swinging himself around with violent agility and mounting himself on her back, wrapping his legs around her waist. It a wonder that she didn�t lose total control of her "flight path" right then and there. Yet, the sudden weight of him upon her sent Demona (and Max) on a gliding crash course straight for the marble floor.

"Get off me!!" she shouted as they only had a few seconds left.

"Not until you listen to reason!!" Nightrunner demanded.

"A human�s reason is nothing worth listening to!"

"Dammit!" Ramnarine shouted, a second more and they would both be bloody stains on the polished ground, "Freeze!"

Demona�s fearful expression locked in place as did her body as all time came to a stop. However, Max jerked forward harshly as the "temporal brakes" kicked in, not being affected by the pausing of time.

After all, he had caused it.

Since her position was only a half foot off the floor, Max dismounted with no trouble.

"You really disappoint me, Demona," Max sighed, "I was truly looking forward to training you and Macbeth. But, you both turn on me without giving me a thorough explanation, or a chance. Time has really made you both narrow-minded and short-sighted," he said, starting a stroll towards the entrance of his home, "I should have let the �Weird Sisters� put you to 'sleep' like they planned!" snapping his fingers, Demona vanished and immediately reappeared, standing, her wings draped over her shoulders and back like a cape. But before she could say anything, Ramnarine was already outside in the courtyard.

"What the-" MacBeth nearly tripped as the flow of time returned suddenly. Previously, though, he had been sprinting down the second floor hall. The Scotsman skidded to a stop in front of another pair of doors. These particular ones were fairly ornate in design and decoration, and definitely stood out from the many others he had already come across. MacBeth wasted no time opening them, his eyes feasting on the new rooms contents.

He couldn�t believe it. Firearms. Swords. Armors. And Vehicles. All of different makes, shapes, and sizes, some of which he had never seen the likes of before. This and widespread armory was by far, more impressive than the one within MacBeth�s castle estate back in upstate New York. Lennox did find it strange that none of the collected artifacts had been contained in glass cases, wall frames, other security devices, etc., but he figured he would have time to question Ramnarine about it later.

After they had brought him to his knees.

MacBeth approached an assorted rack of swords, about to take the one he felt he could handle best. But before his hand could grasp around the hilt of one, an odd glow caught the corner of his eye. At the far end of the room was it�s source; another double-edged sword hung alone and against a wall, it�s milky white blade shining mysteriously. Quickly, he made his advance, but upon arrival he hesitated taking it from the wall brace the held it there. It was a magnificent weapon, he observed, beautifully and sturdily designed from bladed tip to jewel-encrusted handle. Finally, he gripped the latter and removed it, wanting to personally to study the �enchanted� weapon.

"This is astounding�almost like Excalibur�" he compared, clearly astonished and speaking as if he had ever seen, or even held, the mythological sword of Arthur Pendragon.

"Who are you?" he calmly asked, although the glowing sword he held before him made him more of a threat than his words intended.

"That fiend, Ramnarine doesn�t deserve such a magnificent weapon as this. I will use this to bend him to our will, just as he did Jasmine."

MacBeth was nothing short of mesmerized. Whoever this stranger was, "he" had known his name and that he was a former king. He certainly did look forward to his next run-in with the dark individual. From the impression it gave MacBeth, "he" seemed to know things about him that not even the Scotsman himself knew.

Max found a seat upon the wide rim of the fountain pool, staring into space - literally. His eyes may have been upon the stars, but his mind definitely wasn�t. Beyond his sight was a world he had longed to return to, but knew he couldn�t. The route there had been "sealed" long before, and all that were left were the "duplicates". Sure, those alternate worlds may have resembled his original "home", but the people were different. The feeling was foreign. He knew he did not belong.

So he created his own home; in a whole solar system, nestled within an invisible, near unreachable pocket of subspace. Coincidentally, the only world with a livable atmosphere was third from it�s orange sun. Positioned exactly like his planet of origin.

Using alien technology, he created his home in mere days - and straight from his memories of another similar structure, if not a few changes and many advancements it�s predecessor did not have.

On many nights, he would go to the fountain, just to sit and think, sometimes for hours one end without realizing it. He knew, though, that those days may soon be gone; if he had to train Demona and MacBeth, he doubted he would have much time to himself at all.

"Nice speech�" she said, approaching from behind. Ramnarine already knew she was on her way towards him, her approach casual, yet wary, "but I should admit that I was DISAPPOINTED to discover that the keeper of the mansion is just a boy. I almost feel ashamed that I�ll have to take it from you, like �stealing candy from a baby�," she stated.

"You think so, Demona. If you figure me to be just a �child�, it�s a wonder you can see past the nose on your face. If you care to go at it again-" he sighed, rising to his feet and glancing over his shoulder, "I�ll oblige. But don�t expect me to pull any stops," he faced her, and unreadable expression across his face, "bring it on�"

"Gladly," she growled, charging him once more. He swiveled around her assault on his right heel - and nailing her in the middle of her back with his left, knocking her flat on her face.

"Get up!" he shouted, "If you want a fight, give me one, dammit!" she staggered to her feet, gnashing her teeth and her eyes aglow with the color of blood. She suddenly twirled around, swinging her tail at his legs, but he easily jumped it, waiting for her to turnabout. Once faced in his direction, he threw a flurry of punches into several places all over her upper torso; the final one - a right cross that decked the left side of her face, "You�re convinced that I�m the villain, huh? If I were, you would have been dead minutes ago," he claimed, standing over her as she laid on her back, "well�? Aren�t you going to overpower me with your �almighty� gargoyle form? What are you really? You claim to hate humans so much, yet you turn into one during the day. If you�re a hybrid, you can�t detest half your heritage."

"My human form is a curse! Normally gargoyles turn to stone during the day," she said, slowly arising, "but I was cast under a spell by a magical trickster that altered my hibernating form all together. It wasn�t what I had in mind, but I must admit that it has it advantages like not having to sleep. And being that not even you can kill me, I can hunt you whenever I wish."

"Thanks for the low down, too bad I can�t be as gracious to you," he said leaping in reverse and swinging back his arms and fists. As he hurled them forward, on a collision course with one another, they enveloped themselves in an glowing aura of neon-blue "chi-like" energy, "SoundWave!!" he bellowed as his fists clapped together. The motion & speed of his arms and the impact of his combined with the sound of his voice, launched the chi-energy into a three-foot wide, rotating arc of destruction. Demona couldn�t believe her eyes as the spiritual projectile rocketed at her, hitting her dead on before she could even evade it. She sprawled unto the cold cement on her side, her skimpy tunic destroyed and she unconscious.

"I�m sorry, Demona," Ramnarine sighed, regretful of what he had done, "but I think this is the only way to get-"

"Damn you!!!" he heard MacBeth shout, arriving onto the scene. Spinning around, Nightrunner spied him cradling his waist with his right arm, in the identical area where he had injured Demona with the SoundWave. In his limp left arm, he held an ordinary, but sturdy saber, while on his waist in a sheath, Max recognized the Masamune, "No matter�" he dropped the saber slowly recovering from the "transferred" attack as he kicked it by the hilt towards Ramnarine. Max grabbed it�s handle before the weapon could crash into his boots, "Demona may think it�s a good idea to keep you as her pet, but I doubt that to be a wise decision, knowing what you�re capable of."

"So you want a duel to the death? Doesn�t seem fair with me being pitted against an �immortal�; if I kill you, I gain nothing, yet, if you do me in, you benefit, although I can�t see how. Not to mention you have the Masamune."

"So that really is it�s name�" he said, more to himself then his adversary. MacBeth drew his sword, "en garde, Ramnarine."

The Scotsman came in quick and strong, and from his first swipe at him, Ramnarine knew he was a master swordsman. At least, to mortal standards. The "braid-locked" one could also handle a sword but in ways Macbeth never dreamed.

Max easily deflected the attack with his own weapon, and for the first time he had noticed the Masamune�s glow. As MacBeth continued slicing away, his opponent observed his every move (successfully defending them, of course) and the enigmatic weapon.

"How�did you�get it to do�that?" Max managed to ask in-between assaults.

"What do you mean?" Lennox countered, "It�s been glowing since I laid eyes upon it!"

"Really�" Max actually smiled, despite his stressful situation, making MacBeth all the more frustrated, "I guess �they� like you�" he said, cryptically.

"�They� who?"

"Never mind�" he teased, choosing not to go on. It only frustrated the Scotsman more, "Heads up!" he exclaimed before his first attack, raising his saber. Expecting it to come from above, MacBeth never saw the leg sweep coming. As Ramnarine rose from the crouch, his adversary fell upon his back, flipping backwards onto his hands and then his feet.

"How do you move so fast?" Lennox had to ask, ceasing his barrage momentarily, but defensively prepared if Ramnarine tried another lightning quick move.

"Wouldn�t you like to know?" Max smirked, coming short of being a smart-ass at this point, "I could teach you, but I�m not sure if an old guy like you could handle the training."

"Don�t underestimate me, lad. Besides, becoming your �student� is the exact opposite of what I came here to do."

"Which is vengeance upon me for the death of a woman I�ve never met," Max shrugged, "but since you are convinced that I did murder this �Jasmine�, I suppose nothing but an ass-whippin� will deter your one-track mind," he said before throwing the sword aside, putting up his "�dukes�" in it�s stead,"keep the Masamune. I prefer my battles�free-handed," and with that he instantly pounced at him, flying elbow-first. Macbeth smoothly swerved clear as the assailant rocketed past, but Nightrunner immediately came to a turning halt, revolving around with his right foot in the air and ahead of him. His 180-degree spin-kick met a blunt side of the Masamune�s blade as he faced the swordsman; in retaliation, MacBeth attempted to split him from crown to midsection, bringing the sword down upon him. Ramnarine cleared the sword, but barely, crouching and catching it in between the palms of his, now, chi-enflamed hands. Using the pressure, MacBeth was putting on the sword Max held above his head, he pushed himself backwards, rolling away and somersaulting to his feet once more, the energy now gone from his hands.

"So you really want to kill me!!" Max was enraged.

"What was your first clue, lad?" MacBeth responded sarcastically.

"Real funny, but let�s see how you handle this!" as he did the previous night, Nightrunner positioned his hands in a cup-like formation, bringing his arms and hands back on his left side. Another sphere of chi-fire began to form from the "volts" of spiritual energy that emanated from him. Although, the Scotsman had never seen anything like this, he knew what he had planned and prepared himself to leap out of the way when the "fireball" came at him. But as he readied his legs for the jump, he found that his lower limbs wouldn�t respond, locked in place by a mysterious force. Suddenly, his arms took on "minds" and a prerogative all their own, both holding the sword and the weapon upright and directly in front of him, as if it were to be a makeshift shield.

He had never seen the Masamune glow brighter than it did then.

"What the hell-"

"�Shinkuu Ha-Do-Ken!!�" Max cut him off as he launched his attack, roughly translated from the Japanese name he announced as "Vaccum Wave Motion Fist". As it rocked at the "bearded-one", his body involuntarily frozen in place and awaiting impact with the projectile.

To MacBeth, it was an unexpected blessing. To Ramnarine, it was Deja Vu. Only worse. Max�s "fireball" splashed into the illuminated sword, absorbed by it and causing it to glow an almost unbearable sight. A second later, a projectile twice as fast and double the size of the original and now a bright yellow color (as opposed to it�s original "neon-blue") bolted from it, straight on a return course for Ramnarine.

�Damn! Not again!� he thought, swinging his arms and fists back, "SoundWave!" he another arc of "sound" & "chi", being that there was no time to evade it and hoping to shatter the ricocheted "fireball". It only was absorbed into it�s "metaphysical mass", growing into a person sized sphere.

Ramnarine was swallowed whole by it, carried along in agony as it finally crashed into the fountain. The fireball was no more. MacBeth watched, awestruck by the explosion of chi, water, and stone, the unconscious form of Maximillian Ramnarine falling into a pool of gushing water where the fountain once stood. His body slightly singed and his clothes in shreds.

Knowing that his adversary wouldn�t awake anytime soon, Macbeth ambled to the fallen "slave-master", now free of the force that held him in place moments before. He expected it was the work of the Masamune, much like the display of power it showed when reflecting and amplifying the Shinkuu Hadoken. The light of the three moons above cast multiple shadows of his stoic form over Ramnarine, but the Scotsman had also taken the time to notice that the glowing Masamune had none. At that moment, though, it didn�t matter, for MacBeth had one final duty to perform, even though it wasn�t appealing to him in the least.

"You fought well, young man. But despite your youth, your time has come," he said before aiming the tip of the sword downward, gripping it�s hilt with both hands. Before MacBeth could plunge it into Max�s heart, the magical aura of the Masamune completely vanished, and a second later, so did the sword itself, leaving his hands and sight, "What the hell?!" feeling a recognized weight suddenly tug on his waist-side, he found that the sword had re-materialized in it�s sheath.

"The Masamune rejected me?" he turned to the "Masked One", drawing the sword once more. It still refused to shine as he had once known it to do.

"I understand, my �Cryptic� friend," he dubbed the "dark advisor", "but what shall I do about him? And Demona?" Lennox asked, glancing over to Ramnarine once again, catching sight of another weird event. Although Nightrunner was out cold, his shredded clothing was more than active, miraculously hemming itself back together despite the damage done to him from his "bastard" assault.

"Who are you�exactly? If you don�t mind me asking."

MacBeth had seen many strange and disturbing things in his long lifetime, but for all these events to take place in one day was almost too much. He shook his head and sheathed the mystical blade, looking upon the unconscious bodies of both Demona and Nightrunner, before beginning his trek into the dark forest beyond.

The lids of his eyes flew open. Gazing at the sky, he could tell dawn was almost upon him as it was becoming a light violet color. Sitting up, his body and clothes were completely soaked by the rushing streams of water splashing upwards into and around him. Although, his clothes seemed have repaired themselves, it would be quite a while before Ramnarine recovered from the blast he took last night, physically and mentally.

His glasses, he knew, were "long-gone", but only in distance; the fury of the explosion didn�t eradicate the "indestructible" pair, but knocked them clear across the courtyard, somewhere in one of the gardens. The thought of it, like the embarrassing situation he awoke to, caused him to snicker quietly, actually finding a sliver of humor in his loss. At least he hadn�t died this time, feeling no symptoms of a FlashFire Memory Recall. For the moment, the absence of his glasses didn�t bother them too much, knowing he wasn�t blind without them. What did bother him, however, was sitting in the pummeling streams of water and shattered stone that was once his beautiful tri-level fountain, "crowning jewel" of his courtyard.

�I�ve gotta� cut down on the �domestic violence�,� he mused, in thought, picking up a small piece of broken shard of onyx stone, once a part of the demolished structure, �if this goes on, I my �pad� will be the next thing in shambles! Oh, well�� he sighed, rising groggily, �not like it will take long to repair, after all it only took a week to build. The �house� could stand a remod- eh?� he �held� that thought as his un-bifocaled eyes squinted at the unstirring body of Demona, lying 30 or so feet away and still unconscious, at least to his knowledge. He meticulously approached, just in case she had been pretending. Max was sure if she had awoken before him, he would have found have found himself bound in chains (or something worse) by the time he came around, "For a gargoyle, you are �impressive�," he remarked as he arrived at her body. Who knew if he was referring to her physical skills or her half-naked physique. Finally sure that her "lights" were "out", he lifted he in his arms, carrying Demona into his mansion home.

Absolute pain turned out to be the factor that broke the deep sleep she had been in. As her body went through it�s dawn metamorphosis, her intrigued host looked on, not only studying her body, but the new jumpsuit she wore. Her eyes widened as the transformation came to an end and she quickly sat up. She cleared her mind, hopefully to stop the room from spinning around her. Once it did, she found herself atop a bed in a regal, spacious, yet simplistic bedroom. It was shaped quite like a circle, with several smaller ones in the center, three of which were steps leading to the final, smallest ring, being the sunken floor where the bed stood.

"Guess you don�t need an alarm clock," teased a familiar voice from behind, she leapt off the bed and whipped around to face him.

"What am I doing here?! Where�s MacBeth?!" she demanded, "What�" her eyes happened to glance upon the outfit that hugged her slender body. It was dark blue and sported a rimming of white, actually being a snug feminine rendition of his own battle outfit, although the sleeves happened to be cut short on her version, barely reaching her elbows, "happened to my clothes?!"

"That number I did on you with the �SoundWave� sorta� shredded your threads. I figured the least I could do in return were to offer you some new ones," he replied, "unless you�d prefer to �bounce� around, topless to the world, then I�d be happy to give you back your old �skins�," he slyly smiled as her face turned red, embarrassed momentarily. Before she could fume at him, he interjected, yet again, "it's not that I�m doing you any favors, but that�s suit is made of the same material as mine, �Meta-thread�.

"Once it�s 'weaved' into whatever form you originally craft it to, it totally maintains the outfit�s formation. A rip? It automatically hems itself back. Stains? Flushed out in seconds. It never needs washing because it keeps itself clean and always remains brand new.

"Sorry for coming off like a commercial, but I thought you�d want to kno-"

"Shut up!" she snapped, "What happened to MacBeth?! If I have to beat a confession out of you, I will."

"So you say, but after last night I seriously doubt it. Think about it; if you couldn�t beat me in your �superior� gargoyle form, what the hell do you think you can do as and �inferior� human?"

"I�I�" she was, for once, short of words to say, looking away and defeated, "so�do you plan to make me your slave, as you did Jasmine?"

"What?" Max asked, taken aback by the question, "For the last time, Demona, I don�t know any Jasmine, and I have never been a slave-master. As far as I knew up until yesterday, I was the only 'sentient' being on this entire planet!"

"Come again?�" Demona was wide-eyed, "Planet? You mean�this isn�t Earth?"

"A far cry from it. Since when have you seen trees with foliage as dark as those?" Ramnarine asked, climbing to the slightly higher floor and headed for the balcony. Reluctant at first, Demona finally decided to follow, "And don�t tell me you didn�t notice three moons in the sky last night?"

She could see the sun rising from behind the very mountains she and the Scotsman scaled down a day ago as Max leaned on his elbows, resting upon the balcony railing. His eyes were on the "Shadow Forest", knowing something deep beneath it�s canopy of onyx leaves was something different, even if he couldn�t figure out what.

"Lennox is in there somewhere," he pointed casually by thumb. Demona kept her distance from him but gazed over the railing herself to see that he was referring to the woods, "I checked the house and I�m certain he isn�t here. It has plenty of water, it�s a good hunting ground, and all the wild fruit that grows there is edible, although, I doubt he'll take that for granted at first."

"A good hunting ground, hmm�" a smile crossed her lips, yet, Max hadn�t found one when he finally turned to her, "if it isn�t a slave you want then, Nightrunner, why am I here?"

"You know why�"

"If it pertains to your deal to the �Weird Sisters�, I don�t."

"To put it simply�they wanted me to train you and MacBeth in the ways of a few advanced martial arts, and hopefully, get you two to work peacefully with one another and settle your differences."

"Are you joking? You�d think I�d do anything willingly with that traitorous human. I despise him slightly more than I do you."

"You're just extra bubbly this morning!" Max said, sarcastic again, "You were sure willing to help him slay me...I guess this has been an entire waste of my time, huh? MacBeth is consumed with some sort of false vendetta against me, and all you want to is make me your broken lapdog. Last night, you two revealed me that you possess awesome potential, but you also showed me something else. If you two can�t get over your egos, pride, and hate for each other, it going to be your downfall - and soon. The �Weird Sisters� - as you call them - have made me your last hope, but even I see little chance for you two."

"That �SoundWave� you hit me with last night�what was it made of?" she asked.

"Wha-? If that all your concerned about-"

"Humor me, please. It has to do with what your proposing. Trust me�" she said with interest as that familiar sly expression appeared on her face again.

"No offense, but between you and me, �trust� is an idea farfetched. And who said I�m still proposing anything, lady. Excuse me," he rose off the rail, turning towards the bedroom entrance and away from her, about to depart. She was quick to catch his arm, semi-surprised he even let her.

"All I want is an answer, if you want me out of your life after this, I�ll comply, wholeheartedly," Demona nearly sounded as if she was pleading, at least sounding sincere.

"My��Chi�. Or more technically, the �metaphysical� essence of one�s fighting �spirit�. Something of which you have plenty of, but just don�t know how to channel correctly. I�d almost be afraid to teach you, knowing the damage you could do."

"Then show me. I accept your offer about this �training� you wished to give me - I mean, us."

"Please. All you want to do now is �tap� your �chi� and wreak havoc. I�ll probably be your first target, if not MacBeth. Knowing how much you loathe humans, I�m certain this isn�t a good idea."

"So you�re saying nothing about me or my ability is appealing enough for you to teach me these skills. Have I disappointed you that much?"

"You don�t want me to answer that again�" he sighed, "the martial arts of �Shotokan Karate� and �Amaguriken� are no fly-by-night deal. It takes a person of a strong will as well as a strong body. You have to be dedicated to more than yourself.

"Far more."

"I know I can be, Nightrunner, all I ask is for the opportunity," she said, finally, releasing him. He didn�t face her, but then again, he didn�t immediately leave either, "like your said before, you are our �last hope�. Our lives are in your hands."

"There is a lake behind the mansion, where several of the �crater-lake mountain�s� waterfalls pour into," he said, with another sigh, "be there at midnight. If I show up, your training will begin. If not, you�re shit out of luck.

"Good day�Demona�" he told her, at last, walking away.

"Wait a minute!" she called as he reached his bedroom doors; the pair, being clear across the room, and which also bordered on the second floor hallway, "where are you going?"

"For a long walk. In between now and midnight, I�ve got to convince myself teaching you everything I know is a worthwhile idea," Max finally turned in her direction, spotting her standing in the balcony�s threshold, quizzically staring at him, "for your sake, I damn well had better."