Of Legends Lost and Heros Reborn This story is dedicated to those who helped in it's creation, DJ, Strike, Bender for the early edit, and others from the RPG who have helped me to calm the chaos in my soul, to dust my fur out, pick myself up and carry on towards a goal I but dimly perceive. Thanks for all of it, I now understand the strength of friendship is like the riddle of steel, revealed only to those who look and realize that the strength comes from within. Kage~ Character descriptions (Phoenix) - now known as Kage ace piolet and Comdr. of B.P.S. See bio on Strikes RPG page for more info (Ice) - real name Ryan Hair height 5'4" weight 120lbs has long white tussled fur and black ear tips co-piolet to Phoenix an expert gunner, is one of the best Martial artist that ever lived and was Kage's last sensi, intelligent and thoughtful never angry for any reason the best friend Kage ever had also a cyberpunk. (Ace) - Real Name Jeff Ball of average height and build with tan fur and black hair a real rouge and ladies man. Piolet of plane 2, conceded and full of him self he is none the less an expert piolet nearly as good as he claims! He is Phoenixes wingman, and is quick to pass the blame onto others. (Mercer) - Real name Marcus Manx short and overweight with dark brown fur, mercer is shy and withdrawn around others he dose not know, Ace's Gunner he can hit anything with any thing he is also an explosives expert. (Blaze) - real name Jerome Longslate tall and thin his bright orange fur makes him stand out like a sore thumb. In any crowd not that his outrageous mannerisms wouldent anyway, he piolets jet three with his twin sister Sami he is also the units logistics expert (Snow) - Real name Sami Longslate tall and beautiful with light orang fur she is an experiencd como operator and eared the nickname snow after she was thrown out of enforcer training for blocking all the radio transmissions in half of Megakat city (Rose) - Real name Jerimahia Thorne short with dark fur a though full kat at 34 he is the oldman in the unit he taught Kage how to fly when he was pressed into service as a mercenary an exclent piolet and easygoing kat every one who meets him seems to end up as his friend (Darkling) - Real name Hoff VanSledrick A Huge Kat standing nearly 6 and a half feet tall he eared his name by being Pure black right down to his nose. He barely fits into the cockpit but makes up for this by being one of the units best gunners and oddly enough the units medic his giant paws can wield the weapon controls or a scalpel with equal and asstionian skill. He has a horrbile accent and can barely be understood by those who don't know him well. _____________________________________________________________________ Of Legends Lost and Heros Reborn At the Salvage Yard. CHANCE Hey, Jake, you want to go over to Kage's house like we were supposed to a few months ago? JAKE Is that wise, Chance? What if something comes up? CHANCE Ah, what could happen -- Besides which, it's not like we couldn't use his help if something does come up. JAKE Well ... I suppose that we could. It HAS been a while since we met him and all ...I've kinda wanted to check out that jet of his.. CHANCE Yeah, me too. Plus I heard he has a giant big screen T.V. and Scardy Kat is gonna be on! JAKE Aww Chance, why do you always have to watch Scardy Kat? CHANCE Hey, it's only the best show on, buddy. JAKE Oh, all right ... Let's go. Chance makes a move to leave. JAKE Um, Chance -- aren't you forgetting something? CHANCE What, buddy? JAKE Our costumes! CHANCE Oh, why bother? I trust him with our identities and we already know who he is. JAKE Fine then. Let's go. *later at the McKatson Residence* JAKE (Ringing doorbell) Well Chance, looks like he's not home, huh? CHANCE Sure he is, little buddy -- look at the lights on. Try the knob. He DID give us an open invitation... JAKE Would you like it if someone went snooping around your place when you weren't there? CHANCE Come on, it's not like we're snooping and he *did* invite us over. JAKE (Trying door which opens easily) Yeah - 6 months ago. CHANCE (walks through open door) So we're just making up for lost time. JAKE (Following) Yeah, sure. CHANCE See Jake? I told you he's home - I can hear his TV (shouts) Hey, Mike -- you here? There's no answer. JAKE You sure about this, Chance? CHANCE Yeah, sure I'm sure. Let's go to the TV. He's probably asleep on the couch. They both walk down a hallway towards the sounds of the TV. JAKE Chance - look out! Chance leans back as a can on Mountain Dew flies by and then embeds its self in a formerly pristine wall. CHANCE Woah! Just like the commercials! JAKE (To Chance) I can't believe that thing (steps over the laserbeam that crosses the wall, grabbing the can of Mountain Dew and pulling it from the wall) That thing's dangerous! It could have killed you (tosses can to Chance) CHANCE (Catching the can) Hmm, still cold. Don't mind if I dew, heh heh. (starts to open can) JAKE Chance - no! (can explodes spraying Mountain Dew all over the place and soaking Chance) Don't.... (pause) ... open that can. CHANCE Hey, I see Mike! Looks like I was right -- he's asleep on the couch. JAKE Yeah. Looks like he's having a bad dream, too. Mike is rolling around on the couch and moaning softly 'unnaah'. JAKE Hmm, he's bigger than I thought. Bigger than you, in fact. CHANCE (Interrupting) Oh, come off it, Jake. Hey, you think we should wake him up? He looks like he's having a really bad dream. JAKE Why not? We did just walk into his house, didn't we? CHANCE (Shaking Mike by the shoulders) Hey, buddy! Wake up. MIKE (body goes stiff as his eyes snap open) Hahn? Hey! Who are you? JAKE What's the matter -- don't recognize us? (somewhat sarcastically) Hey, T-Bone - he doesn't recognize us. MIKE T-bone and Razor Hun.., so you finally decided to show your faces around my pad, huh? CHANCE Yeah, so sue me. Nice TV there. Mind if I watch Scardy Kat? MIKE No, go ahead, if you really want to.. (Turning to Jake) I bet you'd like to see what's in my hangar, huh? JAKE What about Chance? MIKE What about him, I'm sure he'll be fine watching Scardy Kat. (turns around and walks out of room with a slight limp) JAKE What happened with your leg? MIKE Oh, nothing much - just an encounter with a Kreepling or two. It's almost healed now. Come on, the hangar's this way. JAKE Okay, so where's your jet? I was more than a little curious about it.. MIKE You know what curiousity to the kat, don't you? Come on, follow me! (walks through house opens a secret door and gets into a concealed elevator) You coming or what? JAKE (Following) Or what. The elevator stops and the doors open revealing a cavernous chamber that has several mainframe computers, dozens of new and experimential weapons and a few large machines that seem ready to make anything you can think of. JAKE Whoa! Where did all this come from? MIKE My father. This was a top secret lab from McKatson Tech. It's all that's left of my father's work. JAKE Impressive. Your dad sure must have been something! MIKE He was. But come on - the hangar's through here (walks through a massive arch into a large hanger mounted on a tilted platform that has a powerful looking slingshot like appatarus. On it sits the Saberclaw) JAKE Woah, you've sure got a setup in here! MIKE Thank my Dad. Jake who is now examining the jet closely. JAKE Where did this come from? Ive never seen anything like it. MIKE It was my father's masterpiece. It was down here where he liked to work I'm the only other kat in the world that knew this was down here, and now you do, too (his voice sounds kinda choked) JAKE Hey, big guy, it's OK. I know how you feel, we all have painful memories of the past. MIKE :: grumbles somthing under his breath about incompitent enforcers and killing the kat who murdered his dad :: Yeah (sniff) I know. It's just that sometimes you feel like the weight of the world is bearing down on your sholders. JAKE You said this was your father's masterpiece. Did he finish it? MIKE No, I did, but I still wish he could see her fly! JAKE He can. He's alive in you and everytime you fly her I'm sure he beams with pride. MIKE That's a pretty thought Razor, a real pretty thought. (looks around) Razor, where are you? JAKE I'm over here! Hey, what's behind this door? MIKE NO! Don't open that! It's too late. The door opens to reveal a rather small hanger that has a pile of black and white rubble in the center and dozens of picures on the walls. JAKE What is all this stuff? (looks at the rubble in the center of the room carfully) This used to be an F-14. Where did it come from? (Notices a symbol on the side of the jet it's a stylized black pheonix on a gold background) (to self) I've seen that symbol before, but where...? (fascinated he walks closer to the jet jumping up on what used to be a wing. He looks into the cockpit noticing that it is covered in blood stains that seem fairly old he turns to Michael) What is this? Who are Phoenix and Ice? Michael is standing there a look of total shock plain on his face. MIKE Uh, umm, that's a long and painfull story ... but since you've seen this I think I owe you an explanation. Go get T-bone, I want this out once and for all, and I don't want to have to repeat myself ever again. JAKE Um.. sure. He runs off at breakneck speed leaving Kage alone with this relic from his past. Michael walks slowly to the pile of rubble and touches it lightly, running his hand along a jagged and twisted piece of wing near the cockpit. MIKE (mutters under his breath) Why, Ice, why did you have to leave me? (tears well up in his eyes matting the fur around them with moisture) *Kage has been standing there for what seems like a long time when voices are heard in the distance but quickly approaching* CHANCE This had better be good -- I'm missing the rest of Scardy Kat. JAKE So? He said he had somthing important to explain and that he wanted you here for it, so he'd never have to repeat himself again. He looked really upset, too. CHANCE All right, I'm coming. Sheesh, give me a break. Chance's eyes go wide as he enters the room seeing Michael standing next to a plane that bears a symbol he recognizes. CHANCE The black pheonix! (Turning to Mike) What is this? MIKE As I said, I'm going to explain, thanks, no, let me continue since you recognize the symbol, I assume that you're familiar with the black Phoenix Squadron? CHANCE Yeah, they were Merc's. Some would say the best. They disappered a while ago, most people figure that they retired. MIKE Very good, I see you do know about my former unit. CHANCE You were a Black Pheonix! (Nearly in awe) Whatever happened to you guys, anyway? MIKE That's classified, it's also what I'm about to tell you, you see, I was the Black Pheonix and my unit was destroyed (is literally crying as he says this) _____________________________________________________________________ Sometimes I feel it all the chaos swimming in my heart the pain of the past and frail dreams for the future, which shatter in my head like tiny crystal globes as I try to hold onto that which is me, as I fight the onrush of the doom that society has chosen for me. As I try to stand, futilely like a rock in a mighty river, as all that I see rushes around me to be swept to its doom by those who don't really care, I ask myself why how can I stop the current, my only answer thus far has been, all I can do is try. Kage _____________________________________________________________________ *enter Flashback mode* The Jungles over Siam more than two years ago. Four F-14 tomcats painted in various color schemes of black and white. ICE (static crackle) Ace, this is Ice, Do you read, over? ACE Yeah, Ice. I read you loud and clear. You'd best check in on the Longslate Twins though they seem to be wandering off point. ('Roger') Over. ICE Jerome, do you copy? Over. JEROME Yeah, Ice. We copy. Over. ICE Then why may I ask are you wandering off point? Over. JEROME Oops, sory about that Ice. Have you checked in on Rose and Darkling yet? ICE Neg that. Over. Hey Rose, You doing OK? Over. ROSE Yeah, Ice but what's going on with this mission? Phoenix hasn't told us a thing, except that we'll be able to retire after it's over, and that's not like him. ICE Yeah. I'll ask. Over. (into radio) Hey, Phoenix! What's up with this mission? PHOENIX Just a sec, buddy. (turning the intercom system on to the unit's general broadcast signal) Ok Squadron, listen up so I won't have to repeat myself, ya hear? (several voices come back over I/com 'ROGER SIR') This mission is on a need to know basis and since you're on a need-to-know basis, I'm gonna tell you what it is. The local dictator has gotten his hands on blueprints for several nuclear missles and is building a factory to produce them, he can't be allowed to go nuclear, so we've been hired to blow it up. The security is expected to be tight so watch yourselves (continues on with flight routes and other stuff much to technical for a fan fic.) Over. (ALL) Yes, sir. After several hours of low and fast flight the Squadron approaches it's target. PHOENIX Alpha Squdron, this is Phoenix. We're approaching the target, so look sharp. Over. The Longslate Twins' plane explodes without warning. PHOENIX Shit! They've got a missile battery down there! Pull out! Pull out! ICE Roger, Phoenix, but we have bogies inbound, Sir. PHOENIX Damn, Points 2 and 4, take out the Missile batterys, we'll take care of the welcoming commitee (Banks step to the left towards the radar locks) Ice, what have you got? ICE Three Bogies inbound, sir, at 3 o'clock. PHOENIX Good. (dodges a missile from the battery) Ace, Rose I thought I told you to take care of those batteries. ROSE Phoenix, this is Rose. 4 batteries down and 2 to go, sir. No, Ace $%# damn you . . . (screams come over the intercom, then silence) PHOENIX No g-d, Damn you! Don't leave me, NO!. ICE (reaching over the seat and taking a firm hold on Phoenix's shoulder) It's Okay. We've got to make it for them, but first we're gonna have to deal with these punks. PHOENIX Yeah, but it hurts to lose them - I've never lost anyone before (his voice is barely a whisper) ICE Hey, Phoenix, I've got a radar lock three Mig-29 foxbats incoming. PHOENIX Well, don't just sit there - if you've got a lock, take these buzzards down! ICE Roger that. (there is a loud roar as Mutiply Missles launch from the Black Hawk and streak towards their targets) Looks like two down and one to go, Phoenix. PHOENIX GOOD! (Grunts as he sends the plane into a series of high G manoevers Ice grunts from the back of the cockpit but the incoming missiles miss) Outstanding! ICE Take it easy, if you keep that up they won't need to shoot us down -- this baby'll come apart on her own! PHOENIX Yeah, better that than we let this creep take us down! (pulls up standing the jet on its tail the Mig that was trying to get a lock swerves wildly and barly misses a mid air collision then laying the jet backdown and nailing the throttle forward into the red zone) There I can't keep this up much longer, so take your shot! (the mig explodes into a ball of bright flames) Gotcha. ICE Um, Phoenix, I got bad news. . . (the radar lock warning siren goes berserk) You kinda wandered over the Missile batterys when you were dogfighting that mig! PHOENIX (Swearing Violetly) Yeah, I noticed. (he pulls up and sends the jet into a series of high G banks, rolls and dips, flying through what seems to him like a sea of missles) Buddy, hold on tight. I don't think we're gonna make it. ICE It does look bad, doesn't it? But I do have some good news. PHOENIX What? ICE Rose took out the plant kamikaze-style. PHOENIX Well, then at least we're not going to leave behind any loose strings -- Hey ! (There is an explosion as a missile rips into the Left engine) Damn I can't keep her under control! (the jet stars to spin around it's center of lift like a giant frisbee because of the unbalancing of the thrust) Great, we're in a tailspin so we can't even punch out. Hold on, Ice! Then Blackness claims them both. *Later in the blood soaked cockpit of their shattered jet* PHOENIX Ungg (opens his eyes then squints them shut at the intrusion of what seems to be very bright light) Ice, Ice, Ice (sits up rapidly causing his head to spin and looks back toward where his Co-pilot lays still unconscious, head slumped against the side of the canopy, blood dripping gently from his mouth) No Ice, no! (his voice goes quiet as he starts to cry for the first time in well over 4 years, crawling over the seat he takes Ice in his arms and leans the white kat's head on his chest) Ice, come on buddy, speak to me! Wake up! ICE Unnnna, Mike -- is that you? (coughs violently frothing more blood to his lips) PHOENIX Come on, Ryan you gotta hang in there, buddy. You can do it for me. (is weeping with the knowledge that his friend is dying, gently wipes some of the blood from his friend's face) Ryan Hair, I order you not to die, do you hear me? I order you! (Choking back sobs of frustion and pain he shakes his friend gently, tears dripping from his own cheeks onto Ryan's face) ICE (Coughing more violently, his breath coming in shallow rapid gasps) Sorry, sir, but I think it's too late for that. (blacks out) PHOENIX (Screaming in pain and hurt) No, don't leave me, no -- (the rage turns to sorrow) No. (Sobs) No, damn you, you can't leave me. (Blacks out as the strain and his wounds claim his consciousness) He wakes up with a cold weight leaning against his body. PHOENIX Oh, God no -- (holds the body to him.) Why? (looking up) Why him? Why not me? (sobbing in frustration) *Back in the Hanger* MIKE (Has Razor in a bear hug) It was awful. (crying) Why did he have to die? Why?!? JAKE (coughing) I don't know sometimes bad things simply happen, but, umm could you loosen up a little there, Kage? I can't breathe. CHANCE My G-d, no wonder your, errr. Umm. Well that is, oh never mind. MIKE (Loosens his grip on Razor) S-Sorry about that. (takes a deep breath to continue) Well, I buried him under an old tree that was at the edge of that meadow. * back in the Jungles of Siam, we find Phoenix standing over a grave marked only by a single Katana, hilt skyward* PHOENIX Goodbye, dear friend. (pause) May the wings of angels guard you in your eternal slumber. (In very broken and erratic, that reverts to English several times as Kage comes to words that he does not know. Japanese.) He turns with a military aboutface and limps slowly away from the grave) *Back in the Hangar* JAKE So, how could you just leave the grave like that? MIKE (Tears in his eyes) I took something with me. (Walks over to a table with several objects on it and a few pictures on the wall show the old B.P.S. picks up an ornate wooden case and opens the lid to reveal a large Blaster, it looks very high tech with a square looking mussle, several vents along the barrel, and a large square looking scope on top, but what is most noticable aside from its size is the B.P.S emblem on the handle with the word Ice engraved underneath it.) This was Ice's. It's the only thing I really have left of him now, other than the plane itself, and what he taught me. And I had other things on my mind like vengeance. I killed the crews of the two remaining Missile batteries one at a time, and them turned on the man who gave their order's - the Dictator Ironclaw, it took me six months to find him. I lost a lot of weight in those swamps. Sometimes I think the only thing that kept me alive was my burning need for revenge. *Back in Siam 6 months later near the capital at the Military base that serves as Ironclaw's HQ* Ironclaw sits at a table, talking with several of his "Generals" - cronies is a more accurate word. A grave voice interrupts his revelry. PHOENIX I challenge you to the Circle of Honour. IRONCLAW So . . . (to a tall skiny average looking kat in a guard in uniform) Seize him. Phoenix pulls a large side arm from his hip in a smoothe easy motion easily angling it with the advancing kats' Chest before he can even drop his rifle from his shoulder. And pulls the triger three times in a rapid succession, the rounds hit the unfortunate kat at mid level exploding on contact and cutting his torso nearly in half, in a grotesque pardoy of his previous actions the kat takes a final step forward before his torso leans back and his body collapses slowly to the ground to lay still in a spreading puddle of blood. PHOENIX That Was Stupid, now accept or die! IRONCLAW (looking at the corpse in a weird way almost like he hopes to break this mystery kats' will. Speaks slowly) Poor Rob. He had a family, you know. A lovely wife and two kittens, his wife was a great cook, she always had him bring me her food. PHOENIX (Wiping a tear from his eye, speaks with mock sarcasm) So, is this supposed to make me feel bad? IRONCLAW Well then, I guess I have no choice, do I? PHOENIX No, not really. I set the time at sunset tonight, the choice of weapons is yours. IRONCLAW I chose nothing! We will fight barepawed! (he stands throwing back his resplendant cloak to reveal that he is close to 4 inches taller than Kage and so thick in the arms and chest that he looks more like a gorilla than a kat, light glints dully from what was once his left paw but is now simply a machine made to maim and crush those who fall beneath it's power) *The hanger* MIKE Looking back I can't think how fucked up I was. I was literally consumed by hatred and rage. Rage is such an enigma, causing you to lose control, destroying reason, making you blind, but adding a force no calm rational defence can stand before to your blows. It is power and weakness rolled into a dangourous package. CHANCE I know looking back there's things we've all done that we would change if we could.. MIKE (looks at T-bone funny cocking his head like some exotic bird) Hind sights always 20/20 hun? You know your probably right, but I still need to continue to get this off my chest, once and for all. I need for the nightmares to stop, for the flashbacks to be gone, I need to be free from this burden. *Siam, a large circle has been drawn in the sand. A few of Ironclaw's followers stand as witnesses, the air is heavy with moisture and rain falls lightly to the ground* IRONCLAW (walks confidently into the ring after handing his cloak to a short fat kat) Come on to your doom, (forcively spits the word) Mercinary scum. Phoenix emerges, still bedragles but in much better condition, now that he's had time to clean up. He looks gaunt, from all the weight he lost, and red patches of skin are visible in several areas where his fur has fallen out from months in the wet and marshy swamp. He walks foward his hatred hanging in the air around him like a palapable thing. PHOENIX (points at Ironclaw) You are dead. (Then jumps across the ring screaming a bloodcurdling warcry, and then raining blows down on his foe with dizzying quickness) The blows rain down to fast for Ironclaw to block more than a few. Most of them seem to slide past his defences and land in ridgehand chops, spearhand thrust and openhand strikes. After a few minutes he stands ragged and bleeding but even after absorbing dozens of blows that would have felled or even killed a normal cat. The giant dictator still stands relitivly unharmed and clenching his teeth in anger, suddenly he lashes out with his bionic paw -- the sharpened claws slicing three deep cuts onto Phoenix's left check. He backpeddles quickly as his opponent stands momentarily stunned by the force of the blow. Phoenix wipes some of the blood off his check with the back of his right paw, then tasting it, he spits it onto the ground at the dictator's feet. He says something but it comes out as little more than an angry snarl. The very air about him seems to darken with his building rage, and his world narrows to his paws' feet and the kat he so very much wants to kill who is standing right in front of him. IRONCLAW Is that the best you have, Merc? Come and d-- He is cut of as Phoenix leaps on him snarling with unsuppresed rage his paws a blur, shattering the bones in the non bionic arm, spinning in he kicks across Ironclaw's chest knocking the wind out of him and shattering several ribs. Kage limps over to where Ironclaw is trying to stand up. A limp is very visible. He obviously hurt himself with the shear force of the last kick. But if he is in pain, it is not visible He stops pausing over the broken dictator then grabs him by the throat, lifting him slowly from the ground, his atrpfyed muscles straining as he lifts the nearly 300lb bulk of his enemy to glare into his eyes his hatred is almost overwhelming now. Blood rushes into his arms as his still mighty shoulders bulge in riged prominace, the force on Ironclaws neck is incredible and still it increases, the look on his face changes slowly from pleading to terror, and finally to incomprehension, as the bones in his neck are slowly crushed and broken in the remorseless grip. Kage tosses the body its inner light now fading from the eyes that had pleaded so for life, and sinks to his knees feeling a loss of purpose with no vengance to sustain him he realizes for the frist time how much he has lost. PHOENIX (Slowly as if weaking from a dream) G-d... (looking up at the heavens as if seeking inspiration. Or salvation) It is finished, Ice my friend. May you rest in peace, and may I some day see you again that I may once more know joy. (Pulls out his blaster and shaking, points it at his heart) Shall I end it now my friend that we might once more meet? (Oddly a voice seems to echo in is head -- it is Ryans's voice) ICE That would be foolish. Live on, bear your pain and perhaps some day we shall meet again. Phoenix then slumps over into blackness. The blaster tumbling from his massive paw into the mud near his collapsed body. *Back at the hangar* JAKE Man, were you really thinking about just ending it all? MIKE Yes, I was. I realize now how foolish it was, but at the time with my friends gone, and my vengeance complete, it just seemed there was nothing left for me. I struggled with that for almost 2 years, forcing myself to get out of bed, to move, to do anything. it seemed that life had drunk to deeply from my well, had left nothing for me, that there was simply no purpose in going onward, I've been broken ever since then. I needed somekat like me to remind me what I had been, what I was, that even after everything I had lost, I could still make a difference to somekat out there, that others might still care about me for reasons other than. (makes a sweeping gesture at the ceiling and the mansion above them) This, it's nothing-nothing at all, yet it is all that so many see, or want. CHANCE It's well they want what you have -- most of them because it can put food on the table, buy a nice car, put clothes on their kids, its just a part of life.. MIKE (once again looking at T-bone in that weird way) You know, you just might be right, but they always want more than they need, they want to take that which is not theirs instead of earning it. It's part of the reason I chose you to live around - you don't ask -- you're above begging. You're so proud and full of life, so cocky, so selfsure, so much like what I was, what I am, I guess you just bring out the best in me -- when I'm around you the pain fades, I look forward to making new memoriees insted of missing those that a-are p--past, (tears are in his eyes now as he stutters to a stop) Jake makes shushing nosies and hugs him about the midsection in a comforting way. Fineto.