Navras

Issue 1: Peacebringer, part 1

I'm cold, I'm alone, and I'm about to die. But I'm not afraid. In fact, I'm relieved. A lifetime of solitude is coming to an end. Bright lights flash around me, as strange energies flow through my body. I float around a small sphere of pulsating light, tuck it into myself, and like that, I'm gone. I can feel something tearing me apart, pain flashes across my body, as I become nothing. A drifting, sentient nothing.

I woke in a cold sweat. It was the fifth dream in as many days. All of them are the same, I'm someone else, and I'm dying in the cold vacuum of space. But what does it all mean? Why am I having these nightmares?

A rustle of sheets next to me catches my ear. I turn my head to see a small-framed figure poke her head from beneath the covers. She speaks in a soft voice slightly more audible than a whisper. "What's the matter kiddo?" she asks in concern.

"It was that dream again. It's the fifth time this week. What does it mean?"

"I don't know baby. Just go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow." She wraps her arms around me, and I slowly sink back into her warm, loving embrace. Its always enough, no matter how bad the dream or the day that preceded it, her strong and firm hold on my body manages to relax it away, leaving me slumbering, safe in my lover's arms.

The rest of the night passes uneventfully, no more nightmares. I awake to the smell of fresh coffee, eggs, and toast. Every day we've lived together, she's made me breakfast. She always wakes up before I do, no matter how hard I try to beat her. I guess its one of her own super-powers.

"Good morning sleepy-head." She approaches with a tray. She's already dressed in her usual black three-piece suit and violet undershirt. Her nametag displays her name, Dr. Abigail London, M.I., along with the crest of Steel Canyon Medical Center. Abby is Paragon City's leading Medical Investigator, and one of the city's most prominent figures.

She places her hand on my head, then moves it to my cheeks. "Hm, no fever. I'm worried, kiddo. These nightmares have me worried. You haven't had a full night's sleep in over a month."

"I'm sorry Abby, I don't want you to worry about me," I say. She has so much to worry about without me adding more stress to her life.

"Kiddo, you could be just fine and I'd still worry about you. How about I stay home today and give you a little tender loving care, hm?"

I laugh quietly to myself. "I can't ask you to do that, baby. I'll be fine, really."

"Are you sure? I'll stay if you want." She places her hands on mine, and grips them in a strong yet tender grasp.

"You perform such an important service to the heroes and civilians of this city. They couldn't last a day without you. Besides, I have a test today in Hindu Theism class," I say. I can't believe I turned down an offer like that, but I know how important Abby's job is. She is responsible for diagnosing any and all new disease heroes come across, and getting what medical information needs to go in who's hands. It's a daunting job, but one she does with the utmost professionalism.

"Alright, my strong little girl." A soft hum comes from Abby's inside coat pocket. She retrieves her cell phone, and rises from the bed. I begin to munch down the breakfast she prepared. The eggs are perfect, a soft yellow lightly fluffed with black sprinkles of pepper. The toast is golden brown with a light helping of butter melted right into the bread. I finish it with a glass of orange juice, pulp removed, just the way I like it. I look up at Abby talking into her phone. She hates being called while off-duty, so she's slightly agitated, but even so, she is still beautiful.

We met almost a year and a half ago. I had just started college, a rebellious kid with a penchant for leather and the color lavender. My rebellious stage had started late, when my father died in a car accident. Suddenly, all the tradition and proper behavior my Japanese mother had pounded into my head didn't matter. I was going to live life my way. Carpe diem, as it were.

I had started college a year early, since I graduated high school a year early. Chalk it up to the stereotypical brainy Asian girl, I guess. My major was philosophy. That day, Dr. Abby London was a guest speaker in a forensics class, giving a lecture on bio-engineered diseases. Although it wasn't my field, I had read about Dr. London and her work with the Outcasts, Trolls, and Vahzilok. I guess it was my own childish desire to meet a real live hero that drove me to the auditorium. The way she spoke, her elegance and grace mixed with strength and firmness drew me to her instantly.

After the lecture was over, I snuck in the back. I had to meet her, I just had to. Suddenly, with no warning or announcement, there she was. Tossing her long, raven-black hair into a ponytail. Her soft blue eyes grasped my heart, causing it to miss a beat. "Um… hi Doctor London… I um… I just wanted to say… uh…. great lecture!"

"Thanks miss… ummm..."

"Oh right, my name's Aki, Aki Higurashi Jones." I said. I was on the verge of going on a giggling fit and embarrassing myself completely.

"Well Aki, I have to go now," my heart sank. She hated me, she thought I was a complete boob, "but how about we continue this discussion over dinner?"

"Dinner? Uh, great! But how did you know…?"

"That you're gay?" She smiled at me. "Number one, I can tell these things," she answered, tapping her index finger on her head. "Number two, you have a gay pride button on your backpack. So, I'll meet you at La Chateau Ouellette at say 7:00?"

"Yes! I mean…. Uuuuh, sure." I smiled like a big dope. Abby just smiled.

"Okay, I'll see you then Aki." And so, the eighteen-year-old philosophy student had a date with the twenty-six year old doctor. In one of Paragon City's… no, all of Rhode Island's finest restaurants! Sure I was ecstatic, but my mother almost had a heart attack when I told her I was gay, she would absolutely flip out if she learned I was dating someone eight years older than me! So it wasn't until six months later, when Abby and I moved in together, that I told her.

"I told you, if it involves the Malta, give the information to Crimson. He'll make sure it gets to LostStar or some other hero!" Abby's voice cut through my daze like a hot knife through butter. I guess its bad to spend so much time daydreaming anyway. I rose from the bed and took my dishes to the sink. I ran warm water down the plate to rinse away the crumbs. Abby's yelling ceases. Slowly I hear her approach, and she snakes her arms around my torso. "I'm off to work now. You'll be okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Alright, I love you, kiddo." I turn around and reciprocate her embrace. She kisses me, her soft, tender lips taste like a little slice of heaven. I close my eyes and absorb the moment, letting my lover's perfume permeate my nostrils. Slowly she pulls away, leaving me longing for her once more. "I'm going to give Sister Psyche a call, I'll see if maybe she can help you with these nightmares, okay?"

"Okay. I love you too, Doc." Abby backs away, and picks up her purse. I stand still as the door closes, and then finish rinsing my plate and placing it in the dishwasher. I walk over to my small dresser in the corner of our bedroom. Our apartment is small, but we like it that way. One bedroom overlooking the kitchen, a small living room, and a bathroom are all we need. I take out my clothes for the day, a pair of lavender leather pants that my mom would kill me if she saw me wearing, a short lavender half-shirt and my favorite spiked choker. I remove my white undershirt and panties, and stroll into the shower. I turn the water on so it is almost steaming, and walk in. The hot stream of water wakes me from my morning daze as it trickles down my bare skin. I grab the small bottle of shampoo from its enclave and work it into lather, before fingering it through my dyed purple hair. Mother always got on my case about it; she liked my natural black, but Abby liked it, she said its what made me unique and attracted her to me. Finally cleansed from the dirt and grime of the previous day, I step out. I look at myself in the mirror, and pull by long lavender locks into a pair of pigtail. I then slip my chosen outfit over my naked frame. I always liked the feel of leather on my skin, despite the dominatrix jokes it prompts from the majority of my classmates. Besides, who gives a flying fig what they think? I like it, that's all that matters. I guess with my lifestyle, that's the attitude I need.

I grab my bag from the foot of the bed. Its old, its worn, and it looks like its just barely holding together. It's the last thing my father ever gave me before he died. He worked at Portal Corporation ever since it re-opened, one of the most dangerous job on earth, and he died in a car accident. How's that for irony? He used to tell me stories when I was a little girl, about his father's brother Eric, the legendary hero Zeroth. He used to tell me about how the ebon-skinned hero would fight off hordes of evil, so that little girls like me could sleep at night. Of course, I was always a bit skeptical. I was far too normal to be related to him. He was a practical god, and I was just an ordinary girl in an extraordinary town.

Its 7:30, I've only half an hour to get to Paragon City University. Damn it, if I'm late again Professor Rhodes will chew me out for sure! I run haphazardly down the streets of Steel Canyon, dodging the local gangs steal purses while heroes slap them about. Never a dull day in Paragon, that's for sure. Most of the gangs tend not to bother me. The stories dad used to tell about Zeroth being my great-uncle evolved into sort of an urban myth. Even now, 2 months after he reportedly died, gangs still tremble at the mention of his name. It's become an unwritten rule, if you're wise, you'll stay away from the lavender-haired girl. It also doesn't hurt that my girlfriend rubs elbows with the likes of Freedom Phalanx.

I make it to class with scant seconds to spare. Professor Rhodes is handing out the tests as I take my seat. I run through my mind what the test is on. Nava Rasa, the nine emotional states of Indian performing arts… nava rasa. Shingara (love), hasya (humor), karuna (pathos), rudra (anger), veer (heroism), bhayanak (fear), vibhatsa (disgust), adhbuta (wonder) and shanta (peace). The experience of these are supposed to bring about a state of transcendental bliss…

"Ms. Jones, its nice to see you." Professor Rhodes says, cutting into my thoughts. "Good luck." He hands me the test, and I immediately pounce on it. Rhodes always said I had a knack for this, if only I'd apply myself. I'd like to see him concentrate if he had the nightmares I'd been… oh no.

It hits like a truck, a bright flash of white light. In an instant I'm blind. I try to shake it off. "It's nothing," I whisper, "just paranoia." As soon as my sight returns, I go back at the task at hand. "Language that the… the…" Again it strikes, this time more intense. My mind explodesas a man's scream echoes from ear to ear.

"Ms. Jones? Aki, are you okay?"

"I just…" I try to get to my feet. "I need air…" I mange to almost stand and take a step, but I soon stumble, and fall to my knees, clutching my head in utter agony. I finally give up, and let loose the pain in a scream that fills the room, then I feel myself fall to the ground below, and everything goes black. Vaguely, as if through a haze, I feel hands all around me, as Professor Rhode's voice calls for an ambulance. Slowly, the concerned, hush whispers and barking commands of my professor fade into nothing. Images flash in silence, a face… a face I know… but who is it? Is he calling to me? Why? And now a voice… he's asking me for help… am I going crazy?

Slowly, my eyes open. I'm in a hospital, hovering over me is an old, bald man with a gray mustache. "Aki? Aki can you hear me?" he says in a calm, soothing voice. "You're awake, excellent. You gave everyone quite a scare."

"What happened?" I ask.

"Aki!" Suddenly, the doors at the near side of the room burst open. Abby walks in with a purpose, as nurses and doctors try to hold her back. She runs over and takes me into her arms, holding me tight. "Its okay baby, I'm here. Are you okay?"

"Yah, I think so." I reply. Abby is in tears. She doesn't cry often, if at all. She's always been my pillar, the shoulder I cry on.

"Apparently, Ms. Jones suffered an acute migraine, probably brought on by stress," the doctor says. "She's free to leave, but I'd feel better if she was able to stay with family. Does she have any family in the area?"

"I'm her lover, Doctor Hoskins. I'll be taking care of her." Abby says with almost a sneer. She was always protective of me.

"I… I see. Well, I'll need you to bring Aki to the front desk to sign her release forms and to pick up this prescription for Dihydroergotamine. When she's ready of course." The doctor walks off in a bit off a huff. Some people just aren't willing to accept us. Screw them, I say. Abby helps me get to my feet. I'm still feeling a bit weak in the knees, so she walks me over to the front desk, where we pick up the doctors prescription and fill out the ridiculous amounts of forms. As soon as we're outside, Abby gives me a hard kiss. "I told you if you're not feeling well to stay home, Aki. You had me worried sick!"

"I was feeling fine, then all of a sudden, Boom! I go down!" I reply in my defense. I did feel fine when I left; the night had barely phased me. We approach Abby's car, a 2005 Ford Mustang GT convertible. Abby often jokes that it was the second most important thing in the world to her. She hit the gas, and we drive away from the hospital.

"Well, I managed to get a hold of Sister Psyche. She agreed to come down to the apartment at about ten, that okay with you?" She says.

"Yeah. Um, Abby? I'm scared."

Abby looked at me through her dark sunglasses. She took her right hand and placed it on mine, with a nervous smile. "I'm here for you, kiddo. Through think and thin, till the end of time." I smiled. Abby always knew what to say to make me feel reassured. We'd gone through a lot together, and we stayed strong. And we'd get though this; I knew we would.

As soon as we enter our apartment I fall upon our bed, letting the soft linen sheets caress my skin. I'm still tired from whatever had happened. Abby crinkles up the doctor's prescription and sits down beside me. I guess the doctor didn't know about Abby's special talents. Years ago, a mysterious disease hit Brickstown. A lot of people were infected, including Abby and her then-girlfriend, Julia. Dr. Sheridan and dr. Smythe managed to find a cure and save Abby, but Julia died. It took Abby a long time to get over her, she says I'm the first and only woman she was ever with since Julia died. The disease, or the cure, left her the power to inflict disease of the mind and body onto others, as well as alleviate the pain and cure the ills of her allies. For a while, she became a sort of hero, going into the field to bring down genetically mutant villains and try to find cures for their mutations. But then, she went to fight a man named Burkholder, who had engineered the virus as part of some crazy scheme to turn people into robots. Abby almost burned out her powers fighting him. But she retained some of them, including the ability to heal.

She places a hand on my forehead and the other on my chest, above my pounding heart. She closes her eyes, and a soft green glow begins to emanate from her body, and slowly extends to my own. I close my eyes, and let warmth wash over me. As I fade into slumber, Abby's lips press against mine. "Sleep well, kiddo."

Darkness washes over me. It's the best sleep I've had in a month. Its not a deep sleep, however. I'm somewhat aware of what is going on around me. I can hear the rustle of clothing as Abby undresses, no doubt putting on her favorite magenta sweatpants and shirt. If I had the strength, I'd rise and take Abby into my arms and take her to bed with me. As soon as she is done, she walks into the living room and turns on the television. Abby always was a child at heart; she immediately tunes it for the nearest cartoon station. She puts up a strong-as-steel front around everyone, but no one knows her like I do. She's my strength, my pillar. And I am the same for her. She's restless, unable to enjoy entertainment. Only minutes pass until she gets up, and sits next to me, running her slender fingers through my long, lavender hair. I manage to crack a smile.

Hours pass, I lose track of the time. I'm too tired to rise from my rest, and Abby is unwilling to leave me for any amount of time. Abby continues her vigil, listening attentively to the door. Finally, a knock interrupts my silent sentinel. She rises, the bed popping back up relieved of her slender weight, and she answers the door. A woman's voice speaks. "Good evening Dr. London. I came as quickly as I could."

"I told you Sister Psyche, call me Abby," she replies.

"Only if you would insist on calling me Shalice. Now, I understand your lover has been plagued by nightmares and migraines recently?" Sister Psyche shoots back, somewhat jokingly.

"Yeah. I'm probably fretting over nothing, but in this town you can't be too safe."

"I understand, Abby. The bond I see between you is one of the strongest I've ever seen. She's very special to you."

"Yeah. After Julia died, I didn't think I would ever fall in love again, uuch less at the proverbial first sight. But then Aki came along…" Abby's voice starts to crack, but she composes herself. "Please, do whatever you can for her."

Sister Psyche says nothing; she just places her hand on my head. "Aki, can you hear me?" She says. But its not her voice… at least, not the voice from her mouth. She was speaking from her mind into mine.

"Yes… please Sister Psyche, make the nightmares stop."

"I will do my best. Now relax, we're going deep inside your mind, to see if we can find the source of your problem. Now Aki, was there any sort of trauma in your childhood, a repressed memory just now coming to light?"

"No, not that I know of," I reply, "everything was as good as can be until father died."

"Hmm…" Sister Psyche's voice makes, "A great tragedy for one so young to live through, but you have coped well. This is not the cause of your anguish. I'm going to have to peer deeper into your mind Aki. If you wish me to stop, merely say so."

"Okay" I say in compliance. Its not like I have anything to hide. Maybe a few cheated tests, no biggies. Minutes pass, I can hear Abby pacing about nervously. She worries about me so much. I guess in a place where super-powered thugs roam the streets and zombie attacks are as likely as a bank robbery, its hard not to be concerned for one you love.

"Hmm… this is odd," Sister Psyche muses. "I believe I may have found something, Aki. You mind seems to be connected… linked, rather, to another. Don't worry; this is uncommon, but not unheard of. We merely have to listen to what the other consciousness has to say. Are you ready?"

"Yes," I reply without hesitation. In my mind's eye I see Sister Psyche take my hand, and lead me down a glowing white pathway to the stars above. It's so beautiful… I wish Abby could see it. Sister Psyche chuckles, I guess she heard that.

"You truly love her, don't you?" she asks. I nod. She just looks back out, to our destination. A large white ball of energy, surrounded by tendrils of light blue. I pulses, beckoning us to it with unspoken urgency. Sister Psyche stopped, but I went on. I had to make these nightmares stop. For my sake, and more importantly, for Abby's sake.

"Who are you, and what do you want with me?" I ask it. I prepare myself for the worst. But this is all in my mind, right? It can't really hurt me…

"Aki… you've grown so much. You do not remember me, but I am what remains of your grand-uncle, Zeroth." I gasp. Father's stories, they were true? I really was related to the great hero Zeroth? "Listen, I haven't much time. I meant you no harm, but this was the only way I could reach you, to warn you. There are forces converging around you, Aki, which you cannot see. Beware the Council, my niece. And should to time come and you need my power, just speak my name, and I will be there… and you, my… dear… Aki…" The voice fades, as the energy does the same. Where once a bright, warm glow, was now merely an empty black void. I feel Sister Psyche grab my arm, and race down the road that brought us here. Once we are safe, Sister Psyche fades, and I slowly regain consciousness.

"The nightmares should stop now. The other consciousness has severed its link to Aki." Sister Psyche says, rising to her feet.

"Other consciousness?"

"It was my uncle… trying to warn me."

"Well," Abby said in a slightly irritated tone, "he could have picked a better way to go about it. Thank you, Sis… Shalice."

"Think nothing of it, Dr. London. It was the least I could do after all you've done for the city. And besides, I merely guided Aki; she was the one who looked into the unknown. She is a brave young woman, Abby. The perfect match for you." Sister Psyche walks to the door. "I fear I have to cut my visit short. There are matters that need my attention. Be well, Aki Jones and Abby London." We wave goodbye as she closes the door. Abby stretches out with a yawn.

"I'm glad that's over," She says as she lifts her shirt over her head and throws it on the floor. "I'm going to go take a shower, kiddo." Her pants come off in a similar manner, and she walks towards our bathroom. She pauses in the doorway, shooting a wink in my direction. "Join me?"

I smile, and eagerly remove my clothes as Abby prepares the shower. I want to enjoy the beginning of my nightmare free life. But one word sticks in my mind. I try to shut ot out as best I can. I'm free now, free of the nightmares. I have to believe it. My feet stick to the linoleum floor as I traverse the bathroom and pull back the shower curtain. I step in, pressing my body close to Abby's. I want to enjoy this, I really want to, to bask in my lover's company. But that one word occupies my mind, refusing to let go of it. What does it mean? What in the world is a…

"Peacebringer?"