Fall Of The Empire
Rating: T (for now.)
Disclaimer: I don't own this. If I did, the second season would have been out already, and I would be all over that like white on rice.
Author's Notes: Hello again, dear readers. Man, I had a hell of a time crafting this chapter. I wanted everything to be just right, and you have no idea how many times I would sit down and rewrite a certain section just because I didn't like how it fit. But all is well, I've written this chapter about four times now, and I'm pleased with how it's turning out.
But onto some explaining.
1.) I like making my weird little journal entries on dA. They're cute, and actually it's given me a few ideas for bits to happen later on in the story.
2.) I've also sketched two new pics of Echo, dropped into the Attack on Titan universe. I crave blood, darkness, gore, and action in my anime, and man, you have no idea how much fun I had drawing her in there. Plus, who doesn't like AoT?! Eren x Mikasa for the win. Sidenote: Echo is not getting any spinoff or anything for the AoT universe, I just like taking characters from one universe and drawing them in another. Weird hobby, I know.
3.) I begin to play with canon in this chapter, you've been warned. But what, exactly, does it mean? Stay tuned, you'll find out. The end of Sn. 1 isn't too far away, is it? And then Sn. 2 will begin, and man, you guys have no idea how bad I just want to skip it all and head straight into Sn. 2! But I must resist temptation.
4.) On a side note, shoutout to Anne and Mooncloudpanther. Our conversations are pretty rad. ;D
5.) Lots of one-lined sentences in this one, I know, but I felt like it couldn't be done in any other way, really. I hope you have fun reading it. Things are about to make a huge change for the next few arcs, but I don't want to give anything away!
Warnings: Nothing much, actually. No cursing (least what I can remember)
Stylistic choices, how I do loathe how FF eats you up. Ffffssss
A lot of things happened in a very short amount of time.
Echo's body broke apart, and for a little while, she was nothing more than a few grainy molecules, repelling and attracting each other. Then, with an electric jolt, she formed, nerves painfully crackling as hey aligned back into place, her muscles and skin sliding into position shortly after that.
Her brain whirled as she twisted, her body moving, and she gasped, realizing she was falling-
And she crashed into something.
Or someone.
Arms caught her, but her momentum carried them both forward, sending her and her savior crashing to the ground. She heard a 'oof!' behind her, but recovered, scrambling out of the arms that encircled her and scrambled to her knees, a hand wrapping around her sword hilt. Hit first, ask questions later. She was going to kill that shadow-
Only. . . the shadow wasn't there anymore.
"Echo?"
Getting to her feet, Echo spun around, and her breath caught in her throat as she locked eyes with Lion-O. He'd been the one to break her fall, not the shadow. As she looked at him, she caught sight of pink. . . stuff. It surrounded him, and as she blinked, the landscape formed around her, driving the breath from her body entirely. She was. . . she was in the Astral Plain! But. . . but!
Tygra growled, and Echo jerked instinctively, taking a couple defensive steps back. The tiger, understandably, looked pissed.
"N-No!" She stuttered, "I d-didn't, I swear!" She tried to force the words out, her stutter maiming them horribly.
Lion-O finally rose to his feet fully, expression morphing into something like displeasure. Echo couldn't help but feel stung, and slightly betrayed, herself at the look of disappointment he finally settled on.
"I told you to wait out there," Lion-O said softly, "Why are you. . .?"
His words, not angry, not yelled, hit her worse than if he'd screamed them. Echo, worked up, shook her head and searched frantically for the glowing portal that would surely lead her back to the elephant's village. Instead, a bland, strangely creamy pink, landscape greeted her. The doorway was no longer there. Echo shook her head in denial, and her stomach knotted as panic began to inch through her.
"I was! I did!" She blurted out, in a rush to say the words, "I swear! I swear! You have to believe me!"
Her entreaty, not much, but sincere, softened Lion-O's features. The disappointment vanished, replaced instead by bemusement.
"Then what are you doing in here?"
"A shadow," Echo said, words tumbling over each other, "It pushed me in here. I was leaving, and it came up-"
"A shadow? A shadow?" Tygra repeated incredulously. "Let me get this straight. You're saying a shadow pushed you in here?!"
"Yes!" Echo replied.
"And you expect us to just believe that?"
"Yes!" Echo snapped, exasperated. Her panic was leaving, and anger rose in its place. "Because I wouldn't lie!"
"That's exactly what you're doing right now!" Tygra retorted, stalking up to her. He glared down at her, and Echo glared right back.
I don't know what it was, but it wasn't my phantom, Echo thought to herself, my shadow was behind the portal. There was a second one. . . two shadows. Despite the hot argument brewing between her and Tygra, dread curled in her gut, along with a special brand of nausea. Tygra - nobody - knew about the shadow, save for Lion-O. If she had to explain it, she was fairly certain what little credibility she'd rebuilt would be shattered in an instant, especially in Tygra's eyes. The rest of the Cats would probably view her as mentally unstable. Echo's heart beat fiercely i her chest, and her mouth moved, trying to form words, but failed miserably.
She had to think fast, talk her way out of this. Her hands started to shake as Tygra's stare turned critical, and she was thrust back into the days where she had snapped and gone batty. She, and her voice, withered under his stare, and he desperately wished she had something to hide behind.
"It wasn't her fault, Tygra." Lion-O said quietly, interrupting the fight. He pinned his brother with a harsh stare of his own, "Leave her alone."
Nearly tangible relief pulsed through Echo as Tygra whirled on Lion-O, aggression pointing elsewhere. The human nearly exhaled a huge, breathy sigh as she found she was not the focus of Tygra's anger.
"Why are you defending her?" Tygra snapped, "She's claiming a shadow pushed her in here!"
"Since when has she ever lied to you? Why would she start now, Tygra?"
"She's been eying this place ever since we got here the first time!" He snarled, eyes narrowing.
Lion-O's peeled back in a snarl of his own, and as the redhead began to advance on Tygra, Echo decided enough was enough. She didn't want to sit around and stand idly by as they yelled about her right in front of her.
"It's true!" Echo shouted, determined to defend herself. Now that she was slowly recovering from her rough entry into the Astral Plain, she was beginning to feel a little more grounded.
Her shout interrupted their argument, and Tygra rounded on her, snarling, his eyes narrowed into furious slits. Echo swallowed, but she held her ground.
"I was leaving the hut," She said, voice warbling as she tried to keep it steady, "I was. It wasn't just a shadow, and I'm not going crazy again. It felt. . . It felt evil. It all happened so fast, it just ran into me and sent me flying backwards. . ."
The fight drained from her voice as she recalled those last moments spent in the hut, and the shadow that had filled her vision. It had all happened so quickly, she hadn't been able to take in any details about the formless black thing that had flown into her. She knew, though, she just knew that the shadow that had pummeled into her was not her phantom. Her glitchy specter never felt evil. What had hit her couldn't have been her ghost.
Echo was absolutely positive it had been something else entirely.
As Echo's voice calmed, so did Tygra. To his credit, his irritation diminished into something much more reasonable. "You're lying," He said, sounding tired, "Why would anybody make up something so outlandish?"
"I don't think she is, Tygra." Lion-O said, sounding calmer.
His tone caused both Tygra and Echo to look up. The readhead was pointing, and both of them followed his finger. There, rising out the creamy, pink nothingness, were fragments of Thundera. Echo watched, silent, as bits and pieces of buildings emerged from the ground, never making a sound. Hell, even the jaguar effigy that had once graced the top of the palace rose from the depths.
The human jumped back, startled, as the head of Claudus, hewed from stone, rose up. It elevated both Tygra and Lion-O a good twenty feet in the air, and both brothers stared down at the rock with equal parts disdain and shock. Nobody had been expecting any kind of movement.
"Something's been off ever since we walked in here," Lion-O continued, "And I know you feel it, too."
Tygra sighed, looking defeated. "This place. . . Just. . . Gives me the creeps. Let's just find the stone and get out of here."
Agile, he hopped down, flicking an irritated glance at Echo. "You too, Short Stack. Stay close. We'll discuss your shadow later."
Lion-O joined them a beat later, glancing at Tygra's back as he took off without saying anything more.
"We've searched everywhere already," Lion-O protested, "Don't you find this even a little odd? Shouldn't we stay and explore?"
Tygra stopped, and Echo could see him looking thoughtful. "The elephants always said. . . if you can't see something it's because you're not looking at the big picture. . ."
Echo glanced between them, suddenly feeling emotionally exhausted. They'd gone from wanting to yell at her, to yelling at her, snipping at each other, and then acting somewhat civil. And I thought I had bad mood swings. More than that, Echo could practically see the tension vibrating between the two of them. Who knew how long they might have been arguing (or searching the Plains) with each other before she'd arrived?
"The means," Lion-O grumbled, "It's probably right under our noses."
Another mood swing struck Tygra, and the tactician shrugged carelessly.
"Well. You can stay here and admire the ruins if you want. I'm walking."
True to his word, he showed his back to them again and resumed his trek.
Lion-O shook his head and muttered a few choice words under his breath. Then he looked at Echo, or, more specifically, down at her leg.
"You okay with walking?"
The words seemed slightly hollow coming from her friend, as though he were just asking to keep up the pretenses of being kind, but Echo didn't let that bother her.
She just wanted to get out of the Astral Plains.
She nodded.
Lion-O gestured for her to follow him, and then they were off. Echo struggled to keep up, and permanently lagged a beat or two behind Lion-O, who was trying to keep pace with Tygra. Her leg throbbed, but she didn't say anything - probably a good thing, too. Tygra would likely snap at her if she voiced anything.
Funny, she thought as she hobbled along, I spend all this time wanting to get in here, and when I finally am, I just want out.
She glanced up at Lion-O, a frown on her face.
"I really am sorry," She murmured, breaking the silence, "I swear. I didn't want to come here. . . well, I did, but I didn't do it on purpose. You know I wouldn't-"
"I said I believed you," Lion-O replied, smiling a small, strained smile, "And that means I believe you. In a roundabout way, I guess it's a good thing you came in here, anyway. You can find out what you need to sooner. . . and honestly, I was about to start ripping Tygra to shreds."
Echo smiled back, but it felt forced. Guilt swamped through her, and even with Lion-O's approval, she still felt terrible.
Because she was glad. Some sick, small part of her was happy something had pushed her in there. It satisfied every single one of her sick, selfish, human desires. Echo mentally groaned, and scrubbed at her face. Once again, her priorities were laying in all the wrong places. She should be more concerned with helping Lion-O and Tygra find the stone, not glancing around to see if her shadow was anywhere near.
. . . And it wasn't.
"If I find it first," Tygra said, "I'm keeping this one."
All amiability gone, Lion-O's expression morphed into one of cool impassiveness. He stared at Tygra's back flippantly.
"The stone is my responsibility, Tygra."
The tiger shot a hot glare over his shoulder. "It hasn't chosen you yet."
Lion-O shrugged. "Something tells me it will." He returned sharply.
Echo uttered a small sigh. Here we go again.
She frowned too, for good measure. The tension between them had always been a little foul, but not this foul. It felt like they were seconds away from tearing into each other. Wanting to focus on something other than the brother feud, she glanced around her idly, and wondered if everyone on the outside was okay. She hadn't planned on coming into the Astral Plains, and Panthro had been right. Every available fighter was needed on the outside. She, crippled as she was, would have been a better help out there than she was in the Plains.
Echo chewed the inside of her cheek, concerned with the twins. Hopefully Kit's own guilt wouldn't distract the kitten from the fights that were sure to come.
"Face it," Lion-O bit out, "You've always been jealous of what I have!"
Lion-O abandoned her side and sped up to come shoulder-to-shoulder with Tygra. Echo watched warily, but wisely kept her mouth shut. She couldn't help them through this. She'd tried, once, way back when, in Thundera. It had ended with a nasty melancholy on her part (delivered with acidic, biting words, courtesy of Tygra), and a strange, monosyllabic Lion-O for about three days.
On top of the bruises and wounded egos.
Hard as it was to admit, there were just some things she couldn't stick her nose into, and Tygra and Lion-O's relationship (and arguments) was one of them.
"I just think people should only be given what they earn."
"You haven't changed since we were kids." Lion-O spat, disgusted.
He brushed past his brother, growling.
As if that had triggered the Plains, the scene began to morph around them. The ruins of Thundera gave way to grassy plains, but spots of water bubbled up, forming lakes. Echo shivered, giving the water spots a hefty distance. She trailed behind Tygra and Lion-O, who seemed completely oblivious to the scene changes. She was content with her own company, anyway.
As she peered at the constantly-changing landscape, she smiled wryly to herself. It really feels like I am in Wonderland.
Eventually, her foot began to crunch over dirt, and they left behind the blotched pink of the Astral Plains, in favor of an actual forest. It was speckled with dead trees, and small, withering bits of brush clung stubbornly to the ground. A small fog hung in the air, lending it a dead atmosphere. Echo spotted bits and pieces of wall that rose out of the dirt, but they were crumbled ruins of what they must have been. Soon, the pink of the Astral Plains was gone, and the scene completely engulfed them.
Lion-O and Tygra halted at the entrance of something that looked vaguely like a pavilion. Echo drew flush alongside them, peering at it curiously. In the center of the ruined square, there was a large, gaping hole, covered only with a rotting tree trunk.
"C'mon, keep up!" A young voice cried.
That voice sounds familiar. . .
They all turned, and through the foliage, Echo spotted two distinctly recognizable blobs of color quickly approaching them.
"It's just up ahead, follow me!" The voice continued.
From the forest, two kittens emerged, and Echo stared at them in surprise.
"It. . . can't be." Tygra said. He stared at the scene, looking dumbfounded.
"It's us - as kittens!" Lion-O added, awestruck himself.
The young versions of Lion-O and Tygra bolted ahead, completely blind to them, and on an interception course with Tygra. The tiger spread his arms to intercept the younger version of himself, but both kittens ran through him, as though he were a ghost. Poor Tygra jumped, shocked, and he shuddered, but turned and tracked their progress.
"This. . . this is a memory." Tygra said, watching the kittens play around the ruins.
"Yeah. . . and a bad one." Lion-O added.
"What is it?" Echo asked quietly, after both brothers had fallen silent.
"Our trip to the forbidden ruins. . . by Thundera, I remember it like it was yesterday. . ." Tygra answered, voice thick with nostalgia.
Echo watched as a younger Tygra hopped up on a boulder and taunted a little Lion-O. Jumping off, he raced across the pavilion, rushing to the hole in the center of it.
"C'mon, I dare you to cross this log, scaredy-king!" Young Tygra taunted. He sprinted across it, deftly avoiding the patches of thick rot.
Young Lion-O hesitated. He glanced down, but it was apparent that he was terrified.
Despite the feeling of dread Echo had (two kittens, a rotting log, a hole in the ground - left little to imagine what might happen next), she found herself enthralled. Who knew the two of them looking just like they would when they were older? Still, after caring for Kit and Kat for so long, Echo found it hard not to rush over and admonish the pair of them before dragging them away from the hole by the scruffs of their necks.
If it's a memory, I can't change what happened.
"This isn't helping us find the stone. Let's go!"
Echo glanced at Tygra, puzzled by his sudden outburst. Was it her imagination, or did he seem a little. . . afraid? No, that couldn't be right. Tygra never got scared. Why does he sound so dodgy?
It's almost like he's got something to hide.
"Wait." Lion-O said, catching a retreating Tygra's shoulder, "If we're seeing this, it's for a reason."
Tygra sighed, frustrated. He pinned Lion-O with a blank stare. "We both know what happened. The branch broke, you fell in, end of story. Now can we go?"
Echo caught Tygra's secret glance. His eyes flickered back to the scene behind him, more of that strange fear present. Lion-O wordlessly turned back to the memory, silently proclaiming that he wasn't moving.
Echo stared at the brothers, completely flustered. The two had never snipped at each other so intently, had never pushed and tested the other's boundaries. And honestly, she couldn't figure out why the hell they were starting now. Lion-O stared ahead of him, eyes flinty, and Tygra actually fidgeted, something Echo had never seen him do. Hearing a ruckus, Echo turned back to the memory herself, watching a small Lion-O standing up on the log again.
"Stop shaking the tree, Tygra!"
At that, Young Tygra laughed mockingly, streaks of scorn woven into his tones.
"C'mon, Prince Heir ,I thought you lions were supposed to be brave!"
As Young Lion-O resumed his trek over the tree, Young Tygra smirked. He chambered his leg, and with every ounce of muscle he had, brought the heel of his foot down on a rotting section of log. It shattered, and Echo's heart locked up as Young Lion-O fell in, screaming, eyes wide with fear. She stiffened, just barely resisting the impulse to run in and go save the poor kitten. Forcibly, she turned her stare to Tygra, completely and utterly shocked. Sure, he could be downright nasty, but cruel wasn't exactly in Tygra's repertoire.
Tygra's jaw clenched, tension playing across his body.
"I always thought the branch snapped by itself. But it didn't, did it? You broke it!"
Lion-O's words, said breathlessly at first, grew in volume. Eventually, he was shouting, snarling in rage as he rounded on his brother, brilliant blue eyes slitted in rage. At his sides, Tygra's hands curled into fists, and Echo stood there, nervously wringing her hands together.
This isn't going to end good at all.
Echo kept a wary eye on the memory, still playing, behind her. Miraculously, she could hear Young Lion-O's voice floating up from the depths of the hole, reassuring her that he hadn't died. He'd probably gotten hurt, though, as there was no telling how deep the hole was.
"Tygra, help! Please!" His voice, small and terrified, just barely made it to the surface.
Young Tygra's expression transformed into one of utter fear, and with a single step, he was whirling around and running, an orange blur speeding across the landscape.
"Don't leave! Don't leave me, Tygra!"
Echo could practically hear the tears in Young Lion-O's voice. The human breathed deeply, torn on how to feel. There had to be more to the memory than what they were seeing. Lion-O was obviously safe and sound, and that meant he'd gotten out of the hole okay. . . But there really wasn't excuse for what Tygra had done. By that same token, however, Echo didn't feel any. . . anger. No, instead, a copious amount of empathy was what greeted her. Heaven knows how many mistakes she'd made while romping around with the Cats and in Thundera.
"How could you?" Lion-O snarled, body practically vibrating with his rage, "You abandoned your own brother!"
Echo bit the inside of her cheek. Oh, yeah. This isn't going to end well at all.
She could see the nasty bruises that were sure to abound in just a few short moments. . .
"I thought I'd get in trouble with father," Tygra explained defensively, "I was scared. I was a kitten."
"You were always against me, Tygra. Because you could never have this. You set yourself against me my whole life!" Lion-O bristled. His fingers gripped the hilt of Omens so tightly, Echo could swear she could hear the hilt creaking in protest. He waved the sword in front of Tygra, antagonizing the short-tempered tiger.
"I should have been mine!" Tygra shot back, flashing his fangs. "We both know I should be the leader. I should have been the one carrying that sword!"
Lion-O growled, and Echo opened her mouth to interject, but shut it with an audible click. Her eyes went wide, she was sure, as she stood there, staring, at a sword that rose up from the ground. It hummed with power and life, another Sword of Omens, and hovered just in Tygra's reach. She could feel both swords, both presences, and it was absolutely staggering.
Tygra didn't even look surprised. He merely glanced at the new sword, and then at Lion-O.
"Maybe, in this world. . . it can be." He said, tone dark. He grabbed the hilt, and the Eye in his sword flashed to life.
Echo faltered, mind rushing as a second Sword of Omens washed over it. She shook her head forcefully, trying to ignore the buzzing in her skull.
She somehow managed to focus on the brothers, and just in the nick of time. Lion-O extended Omens, and the metal rasped with deadly intent in the air. He spread his feet apart, adopting a more defensible stance.
"Then let's settle this. Once and for all!"
"Tygra, Lion-O, stop!" Echo shouted, finally finding her voice.
They looked like they were going to try and kill each other. Spurring herself forward, she slid to a stop between the two of them. Her back to Lion-O, she faced Tygra, hoping, somehow, that her pleading would be able to reach the tiger.
"You can't do this! There's no reason to fight!"
"There's every reason to fight." Tygra hissed, voice low and deadly.
"My sword is the true Sword of Omens!" Lion-O growled, "Let that coward come. He can't beat me! He can't beat it!
"No, but I can beat you." Tygra snarled.
Everything became a blur to Echo. She remained planted in place, her arms raised, determined not to move. She had to make them see the light somehow. She had to put a stop to this, before it was too late, before relationships were damaged beyond repair. Tygra ran forward, his eyes gleaming for blood. Echo's throat dried with fear, but she watched in muted awe as he wielded Omens, gracefully and skillfully, despite never having laid hands on the weapon.
And, she noted with growing dread, he wasn't changing paths to avoid hitting her.
A clawed hand dug into her shoulder and pushed, and Echo sprawled ungracefully out of the way. Her leg flared in agony, angrily telling her of its displeasure at her rough treatment. She blinked away tears, and absently, heard the wicked clang clang and shings of a sword fight behind her. She propped herself up and watched the fight, trying desperately to plead her case with either one of them, but they weren't listening.
They were fighting. It wasn't the kind, honorable sword fights she was accustomed to, either. No, they were fighting to draw blood and to inflict pain. Lion-O and Tygra swung and blocked every blow the other sent their way, anger shielding them from her entreaties.
Struggling slowly up to her feet, she winced as her leg throbbed painfully, not at all liking the idea of supporting her weight. She watched, her jaw nearly dropping, as Lion-O was hit not just once, but twice, and the considerably muscular and heavy lion went bouncing through the air like a rag doll.
My god, he's incredible with that sword. It's almost like he was meant to have it.
Lion-O groaned as he slowly came back to consciousness, and Tygra stalked forward, lethal intent in his eyes.
Before she could think twice, Echo tried again. She sprinted forward, ignoring her leg, and skidded to a halt in front of Tygra a second time, arms spread wide.
"Tygra, please, stop!"
"Move, human." He growled.
Had Echo been a lesser person, she would have flinched and quickly scrambled to get out of his path. As it were, her hands and legs shook from being in the line of fire from all that fury. She shook her head.
"No!"
"Move, ECHO!" He shouted.
"Annet said your betrayal would be inevitable!"
The back of her neck tickled as she felt a sword passing close to it, but then Echo gasped as Tygra snatched the front of her tunic and threw her, effortlessly sending her toppling head over heels.
Echo didn't get much time to wonder anything, for when she landed, her forehead smacked up against a rock, and then the world became a confusing swirl of colors. She only barely felt herself rolling to a stop, ungracefully flopping over onto her stomach. Her leg was aching badly, and nothing she said - or did, even! - was getting through to either of them.
She struggled back to consciousness, groaning as a headache pounded behind her temples.
Tygra had swung at her, and she'd been saved by Lion-O. Then, Lion-O had swung at her, and she'd been saved by Tygra.
The sounds of their fight rang out distantly behind her, and she sighed, closing her eyes.
I just need to let them duke it out or. . . or something. I'm not doing any good here.
"Then. . . still. . . here?"
Echo gasped, her head snapping up. She caught sight of her faceless, glitchy specter, standing right in front of her, before she turned and began walking away.
"Wait!" Echo cried, jumping to her feet.
With a start, she realized she wasn't standing in the forbidden ruins anymore. In fact, she was back in the creamy pink nothingness of the Astral Plains, and Lion-O and Tygra were nowhere in sight. Fear raced through her as she spun around, searching for a sign of the brothers, of a whisper of sound from their fight.
Nothing.
She was alone.
"Lion-O!" She called out. "Tygra!"
Her voice echoed, and then bounced back to her, impossibly quiet and loud at the same time. She hobbled forward a little, searching for a speck of dirt, just a blotch of color on the horizon - something. Anything.
She looked, and paused when she found the shadow standing not but a few feet away. Despite the situation she was in, Echo felt a thrill of excitement rush through her. She tamped down it and scowled at the featureless phantom.
"You!" She snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at the dark blob, "You did this! Where's Lion-O and Tygra? And why the hell did you drag me in here? Do you have any idea how much trouble I'm in because of you?!"
The shadow's head tilted, as though it couldn't quite grasp why Echo was yelling at it. Then, without another word, it turned, and began to run.
"Don't you run away from me!" Echo barked, "When I get my hands on you, you'll wish you'd stayed in my head!"
Except it's probably not a hallucination. There's no way it can't be.
Echo gathered up what little strength she had and began to run after it. Which, truthfully, as nothing more than a pathetic hobble. Her leg stung with every step, but she just cursed a tit, and continued on her way. The shadow almost seemed to be playing with her, as, after a few steps, it would turn and (presumably) look at Echo, as if wondering if she were still chasing after it.
"I am so serious," Echo grumbled, "Even if you know anything about me, I am going to hurt you!"
She stopped dead as the strange, echo-y sound of her footsteps started to change pitch. The sound had hit something. Glancing to her left, Echo saw rock jutting out of the plains, although it was much different than what she'd seen earlier. For one, she hardly remembered Thunderian rock having glowing, curved lines pulsing in its surface.
Shaking her head, she continued walking, but she bit the inside of her cheek. Hard. Hard enough to draw blood. Like Lion-O and Tygra, the Astral Plains must be digging into her head and projecting landscape around her. But she couldn't get distracted. She had to get back to the stupid brothers who were intent on ripping each other to shreds.
More and more landscapes rose from the Plains, mismatched and confusing. Some of it looked like technology, panels set into consoles, inscribed with letters from the English language. Echo lagged, and for some, unexplainable reason, she felt an odd sense of dread begin to knot up her stomach. She felt anxious, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Juxtaposed next to the technology-consoles, more of the strange, glowing rocks popped out of the ground.
It was a weird hybrid of landscapes, and she didn't like it.
"I have to get back to Lion-O and Tygra," She murmured to herself, "I need to find them. I don't have time for this!"
Resolving her will, she ignored the shifting landscape, and pressed on.
In front of her, the shadow, responsible for whisking her away, collapsed, pitching forward onto its hands and knees.
And, Echo noticed with a tinge of discomfort, she heard the strange, muffled sounds of sobs coming from it. Trepidation made her hands shake as she slowly drew nearer, and her mouth went dry as she began to close in.
Why. . . Why was she scared?
She shouldn't be.
She should be angry. She should be cursing at it, kicking it, and demand it take her back to Lion-O and Tygra. But for some reason, lead weights began to drag down her feet, and she swallowed, nervous and anxious.
She needed to get back to Lion-O and Tygra. They were trying to kill each other. She was pissed that it had been playing with her for weeks - for months - spewing cryptic messages and making her feel nigh on insane.
Gritting her teeth, Echo finally closed the last of the distance, and stretched her hand forward, ignoring the shaking.
The shadows around her phantom fell away, and Echo was treated to the sight of a black cloak. Small, bandaged hands were clenched into fists. Those hands were. . . Without fur? The sobs from the person began to increase and sound and volume, and Echo inwardly cringed. It was not a happy sob. It sounded thick with despair, like the person was choking on it.
Echo's fingers just brushed against the hood of the cloak-
When a hand locked onto her wrist.
Echo gasped in shock, the breat leaving her as she stared down at that hand.
There wasn't. . .
There wasn't any. . .
"I'm sorry to tell you this," A low, male voice said, "But you're not ready yet."
It felt like her entire body was suddenly made of molasses as she turned, so, so slowly, and completely went still.
She was. . .
She was looking at another human.
For once in her life, Echo was completely speechless. She was in so much shock that she just stood there, mouth open, eyes wide, her heart beating fiercely in her chest.
The human, a man, stared back at her.
She couldn't speak. So, instead, she drank in his features.
The man had to be at least 26 years old, possibly closer to 30 if she really had to guess. He had dark, tanned skin, as though he spent all of his time out in the sun. He was tall, at least a solid foot taller than she was, putting him at least at 6' 4". He his muscles were compacted, strong and lethal. His skin was scarred heavily, albeit much more than hers. Not an inch of him had been spared. Echo glanced down at his hand, feeling calloused skin against her own, and although his hold was gentle, she could feel the hidden strength lurking just beneath the surface. He could probably break her wrist with a simple twist.
"I've never known you to be so quiet." He said, his voice still low, his words accented in a strange way hers weren't.
Echo jumped again, unused to hearing another human speaking. . . speaking English.
Her eyes jerked back up to his, and her mouth moved, but she failed to find words.
She was in the presence of another human. Another human!
After months of wondering, of thinking she was completely alone in this world, she'd finally found another human. He looked at her curiously, as though not understanding why she was silent.
Finally, finally, speech came back to her.
"You. . . You know me?" She asked, speaking in English herself, his words registering in her brain.
He was silent for a moment, his dark eyes calculating. Echo was momentarily taken aback at what she saw in those eyes. They looked. . . ancient. As though he'd seen the darkness of the world, and then some. His face was slightly more angular than her own, and close-cropped black hair lent him a decidedly military feel. It was reflected in what he wore, too, with an outfit that was black and gray. It was sharp and pressed, and shiny black boots gleamed up at her. Belts and pouches were all over his body, along with a holster, housing a gun she'd never seen the likes of before.
Her skin tingled from where he touched her, and while Echo wanted to break the uncomfortable feeling, she didn't at the same time.
"I sense we have a lot to talk about," He finally conceded. "Away from. . . this."
He glanced down at the cloaked person, still keening on the ground. It took Echo a moment to understand him, but when she did, she too, looked at the person.
"But I-"
He started walking, tugging on her wrist and pulling her away.
"You're not ready for that," He finished for her, "Not yet."
Despite just meeting, Echo felt irritation popping her excitement and her wonder. She tried to tug her wrist out of his hold as he led them both away, but his grip only tightened.
"I don't know who the hell you are, but you don't get to decide that for me!"
He chuckled, but it was a bitter, humorless thing.
"In time, you'll thank me. Trust me, you're not ready for that truth. Not yet."
Finally, Echo managed to rip her hand out of his hold, and she stopped, seething. The man halted, turning to face her, regarding her as if he would a child.
"I'm sick and tired of people telling me what I'm not ready for! Give me a single reason why I should even bother to listen to you!"
"Because I'm another human."
"Not good enough." Echo snapped.
He smiled, just a quick twitch of his lips, but it died.
"Because," He said, slowly, "I am your captain. You've trusted me with your life, and mental health, before. I know you well. That truth is something you're not prepared for."
Captain?
She stared at him, puzzled and confused. The word meant little to her. She understood it to mean military lingo, but she wasn't a solider. She'd remember it. . . wouldn't she? Her eyes skittered over his uniform a second time, and another inspection revealed a strange sigil on his arm. It looked like a strange pyramid, completely black in color.
"if you know me," Echo said hotly, "Then what's my name?"
He looked at her again, an amused smile on his face.
". . . You've forgotten. Everything, apparently. Even your own name. Haven't you?"
Her cheeks flushed, and human or not, she was done.
Nobody treated her like an idiot. She wasn't going to stand for it. Yeah, Tygra might've poked at her once or twice, but never to this extent. She wasn't going to stand and take it. Echo turned on her heel, fury blasting through her.
Screw you. I've got to find Lion-O and Tygra.
"Where are you going?" The man asked, not seeming the least bit concerned.
None of your business, she thought venomously, not wanting to humor him with a response.
"I'd like to think it is my business."
That made Echo stop.
She started shaking all over again.
Is he. . . Somehow. . .
"Reading your mind? Hearing your thoughts? Yes." He answered, "It's not that hard. It's quite easy right now, in fact."
She didn't understand anything that was going on. She really didn't. One minute, she thought she had a grip, and then something like this happened, and reality was a big, confusing mess all over again. Echo turned, pressing her hands against her sides to stop their trembling.
The man still stood there, calm as ever, as though he'd expected this reaction.
Like. . . Like he knew her, inside and out.
"I know you. Though our time together was limited, you were probably the closest human companion I ever made."
Her throat went dry, and her stomach knotted all over again. Echo felt as though she was standing on the very edge of a cliff, and staring down at the edge.
"Who. . ." Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat before trying again, "Who are you?"
He smiled, and for once in her life, Echo honestly couldn't place the emotion that was on his face.
"You referred to me as Captain. You also called me Ra. My name is Markata Ra-Mes."
A sense of foreboding wove through her as he paused. There was more. I don't want to hear the rest of this. I really don't. I know I don't. Why don't I run away? Why can't I cover my ears with my hands? I have to get back to Lion-O and Tygra, to the other Cats. . .
"Right now," He continued, "You know me better as Mumm-Ra."
No.
No, no, no, no!
It felt so good to think, she dropped into a crouch, fury giving her strength.
"NO!" She screamed, "No, I don't know you! Go to hell!"
Quicker than she ever had in her life, Echo drew both of her swords and leaped forward.
She wasn't going to be played like this. She wasn't going to have some weird man spout lies.
With a fierce cry, Echo swiped at him, blades flashing like lights as she swung. It only enhanced her anger as he expertly ducked under her swings. Echo tried to hurt him, tried to draw blood - she really did - but it was as though he knew every single move she was going to make, and he was dodging it with a deadly efficiency and grace Echo could only have in her dreams.
Echo grit her teeth as he ducked under another blow, and somehow, impossibly, bent under her strike, and then wrapped his hand around her wrist. He twisted it, and she dropped the blade automatically. He caught it and carelessly threw it away from them.
Wrenching herself away from him, Echo breathed heavily, fingers gripping her remaining sword even more tightly in her hands. The man - Markata, Mumm-Ra, she didn't know or care - smiled at her again, as though he were amusing a child. With a sound of fury, Echo ran forward-
And was almost immediately disarmed.
Shocked wasn't quite the word to describe how Echo felt about it.
Hand stopped wrapped around her wrist, Markata sighed.
"You still have some measure of your stubborn nature, I see." He drawled, amused and bored at the same time.
She glared.
I don't need my swords!
Twisting around, Echo broke his hold and aimed a flurry of kicks and punches at him. Each one, Markata dodged, and after a few more attempted blows, he sighed again, as if tired of their fight.
. . . If one could even call it that.
"Who has been training you? Have you been neglecting your exercises? Your form is terrible. Under my tutelage-"
"Shut up!" Echo cried.
She didn't want to hear another lie from his mouth. She didn't want to entertain his words anymore.
In the blink of an eye, Markata stepped up close to her, grabbing her arm and twisting it around her. Echo grimaced as an uncomfortable pain flashed through her shoulder sockets. If he pulled any farther, she was positive he would dislocate her arms entirely. Wriggling in his hold, Echo breathed heavily, a potent mixture of fear and anger rushing through her. She could feel him behind her, and her nerves tingled, her heart pounding in her chest.
"While you've always been stubborn, you were also a wonderful listener. . . Until you heard that one thing you didn't like, and then it was fists and swords and bullets. If you'd just calm down for a moment, I can explain."
"I don't want to hear it!" Echo gritted through clenched teeth. "I don't want to hear it!"
Everything I hoped and wished for, everything I dreamed of - it's been connected to you. Mumm-Ra. I don't want to know this. I don't want this connection!
"If you'd just listened for a minute," Markata said evenly, "I can explain."
Moments passed as Echo was held, arms twisted up behind her back, but those critical moments helped her to finally calm down. She needed to approach this logically and come up with a plan. Continuing blindly with only emotion guiding her wasn't getting her anywhere. She had to come up with a plan.
She stiffened, entire body freezing as a finger ran up her spine, tracing each individual outline of the ports under her skin.
"These," Markata said behind her, "Are the primary source for your problems. You lack the equipment necessary to regulate it. . . although, even having that didn't help you in the end."
Plan.
Think strategically.
Echo closed her eyes, willing the feeling of his hand away. She just had to think of a way to get out of this.
She just had to get back to Lion-O and Tygra and forget it ever happened.
Markata continued talking. "I know you have many questions, and I guarantee you that I have the answers. I'm going to let you go now, and we'll have a civil conversation."
True to his word, he released her.
Echo immediately spun around and landed a vicious roundhouse to his face.
To her surprise, it connected. She pressed her advantage, cocking a fist back at aiming it at his temple - a knock-out blow.
She jerked to a stop, and that was when she received a second shock that day.
It felt like she had been encased with ice, like her entire body had been frozen. Echo tried to move her hands, or ever force her legs to move, but something kept her locked in place, stopping her.
What the hell. . . what the hell is this?!
"I. . ." Markata said slowly, as if trying to remain calm, "Have the same ability, child. And if you had been patient, I would have-"
If. . . If he had telekinesis, too. . .
Echo closed her eyes and imagined that she was producing a shield around her own body, dispelling his effects. And to her surprise, it actually worked. It was difficult - like like a boulder with only her fingertips - but through some monumental effort, she managed it. She dropped to the ground, fists flying, but again, Markata caught it.
Before she could blink, Echo had been thrown roughly onto the ground, the air driven from her lungs. She wheezed, mouth gaping open as she tried to suck in as much air as she could.
A hand covered her eyes.
"I'll show you." Markata's voice sounded from somewhere above her, sounding annoyed, "And maybe that'll put an end to your little tantrum."
Echo struggled, but moments later, it really didn't matter.
Within seconds, an alien presence invaded her mind, brusquely wiping away her pathetic defenses and digging down, down, down. From the depths of her mind, a mental hand seized one of her flashbacks, and began to pull, expanding and lengthening it.
And then she was in another place entirely.
She was seated on a piece of rubble, a book open on her lap. She read from the pages, bandaged hands skimming over the words as she read them aloud. She was content, even despite the distant sounds of pop pop pops in the distance, warning her of battles waging close by. They can just wait, she thought, fingers sketching over lines she'd drawn months before.
The ruined concrete she sat on dug into her lower back, which was aching.
If I hadn't gotten kicked around by that stupid thing, she thought sourly, I wouldn't be hurting.
She'd have to remember to go over her defensive maneuvers again. The captain probably wouldn't be happy about it, though. Wanting to distract herself, she continued reading. Her war could wait. And since her comms weren't blowing up, there wasn't any obvious need for her at the present.
"She picked up the first bottle she saw, an unlabelled little jar, but dared not drink it for fear it was poison. . ."
A footstep sounded to her left, and she lifted up her head and grinned.
"It's you," She said, "I was waiting for you to get here. Do you know how long I've been waiting? Why do you always take so long, captain?"
She hopped up, clutching her book to her chest.
Markata stood before her, albeit it looked different. He was outfitted with technology, and there were additional pieces to his military outfit, but she recognized him all the same. He always went a little overboard when they went out on the field, and half the time, he never even needed to draw his sword. His mind was the deadliest weapon of all, and in terms of power, he could probably beat her five times over.
Her captain looked at her and gave her a sharp, piercing frown."You should know better than to let down your guard. This area has yet to be cleared. Why were you not responding to my comms?"
She shrugged.
"Didn't feel like it. Besides, this area is clear. Just because I'm reading doesn't mean I'm not scanning." She said, tapping her forehead.
Markata frowned at her, eyes getting flinty.
"You are in direct breach of protocol and you know it."
She grinned, and offered him a shrug.
"What do you think about this story?" She asked, completely ignoring him. "I really think it's exactly what we're going through right now."
His dark eyes glanced down to her book. His gaze lingered on her drawing, before flicking back up to her.
"I think. . . she looks a lot like you."
"What?!" She said, voice bounding loudly off the rubble, "No way! I'm not Alice! I'm. . ."
In a rushing of wind and sound, the memory faded, and Echo was back, staring at the blank expanses of the Astral Plains.
She laid there, completely stunned. There was. . . There was absolutely no way that she. . .
With a gasp, Echo sat up, and she reeled in horror. Doing a terrible impersonation of a crab, she skittered away, until her back hit the solid surface of a metal wall. She sat there and she trembled, unable to take her eyes off of Markata. . . Mumm-Ra.
We know each other. We were. . . He was my commanding officer. I was a solider. I was fighting in a war. Markata was my commander. I served Mumm-Ra.
She felt sick.
She didn't want it to be true. She wanted to believe that he had made her hallucinate something, that it had all been a lie. But somewhere, deep, deep down inside of herself, Echo knew it was true. The memory felt right, and it just clicked into place, a bright piece to the dark jigsaw that was her past. There was a core of truth in the memory, something she couldn't deny - and it made her reel in horror.
Mutely, she shook her head.
She didn't want to believe it.
Worse yet, a part of her felt grateful that somebody had shown her something.
"No. No, no, no," She croaked, burying her face in her hands. "Please, please, no."
"It's true." Markata said, "I don't understand why you're so horrified. I hardly think it fitting. I was the reason you survived so long. I can't count how many times you ran into danger like a suicidal maniac and hoped it would all work out."
That just made it worse. Echo dug her fingers into her scalp, and bit her lip so hard she tasted blood.
This wasn't the truth she'd been looking for. It really, really wasn't. And the fact that Markata had been there, by her side, and saved her. . . well. That only made it worse. That meant she owed a debt to Mumm-Ra.
A choked sound escaped her, and in the distance, she swore she could hear everyone who had told her to stop chasing her past, "I told you so."
Markata sighed.
"Enough crying. I don't understand why you're so upset over this. You know it's true. I only showed you your memory. . . it was odd, by the way. A vast majority of them seem to be stuck in some kind of. . . mental tar. You don't know how difficult it was to pull that single event free. What happened to you? Where did this amnesia come from?"
Echo glanced up, wary of his approaching her. She didn't want to be touched, or to be anywhere near him. To her relief, Markata just crouched there, staring at her intently. His hands hung over his knees, but Echo knew that calm, relaxed demeanor was a lie. If he wanted, he could just run up to ehr and smack her head into the ground before she'd even noticed he'd moved.
Scrubbing at the tears that had suddenly appeared in her eyes, she glared at him.
"I don't w-want it to be true," She rasped, "This w-wasn't what I was looking for."
Markata smirked, looking wry and bitter.
"I did this to illustrate why you're not ready," He explained. "You have this reaction over just knowing I was your commanding officer and we served together. If you knew the rest, well. . ." He chuckled, "You'd probably go insane."
Echo stared. "I would?"
"You were always an optimist. To be fair, I didn't want this path either. That war changed all of us. Me, most of all. Look what I've become - a papery skeleton, hunting down animals. That was not the glory I wished for."
What?
Mumm-Ra never wanted to be. . . Mumm-Ra?
He scoffed, standing up, and ran a hand through his close-cropped hair.
"No. I rather enjoyed having my skin, thank you. Now I'm quite repulsive. But what I want isn't important anymore. What is important is me finally having you understand that this is your truth. And I think it wise that you pursue it no further."
"You're. . . You're protecting me?" Echo asked, flabbergasted.
Markata began to advance, and Echo scrambled up to her feet, wanting to run.
"Maybe. I haven't quite figured out exactly what I'm doing yet, either. For the first time in my life, I don't have a meticulously-cultivated plan, except this."
His words, just as cryptic as her phantom, made her bristle.
"What the hell am I saying? I don't care! You're Mumm-Ra!"
Echo turned, readying to run.
Strong hands seized her arms, and forcefully shoved her back against the metal wall. Her head snapped back, her skull cracking against it.
"You never ran away from life when it got hard, so stop running now. You will listen to me. And I'll make sure you won't forget what I've shown you today."
His hand tightened on her right arm, and Echo cried out as pain lanced through it. It felt like he was burning her skin.
Echo struggled as the pain grew, and continued escalating. Tears sprang in her eyes.
"I want you to remember exactly what I showed you today," Markata said calmly over her cries, "It'll be the last kindness I can show to you."
She had to. . . She had to get away.
With a fierce heave, Echo finally stumbled away from him, breaking his hold. She started running, adrenaline numbing the pain in her leg. Her arm throbbed, and her breaths scoured the inside of her lungs as she sprinted away. She half expected him to be running after her, but when she glanced back, he was just standing there, watching her run away.
Echo ran.
And she fell.
The surface of the Astral Plain cracked and shattered under her feet, dropping her. Echo uttered a short scream before she hit another surface, smacking into it painfully. She slowly picked herself back up, groaning as she blinked the world back into clarity. She was. . . in a place full of stars? It was like she was in the galaxy itself.
A red light pulsed warmly under her hands, and she glanced down stupidly, wondering why she was laying on a giant crystal.
"Short Stack!" A voice cried.
She tilted her head back, and found Tygra staring down at her, urging her to stand. She did so, numbly trying to place where the hell she was. Just moments ago, she'd been standing with. . . She swallowed. Did Tygra know? Had he somehow seen Markata?
Standing in front of her, Tygra faced away from her, whip held at the ready. A hot, purple blast of energy washed over her, and Echo flinched, raising an arm to defend herself.
Hovering above them, the impossibly huge bulk of Mumm-Ra remained suspended in the air, anger drawing his features tight. Echo stared at him, her legs shaking. We know each other. But what she was staring at was Mumm-Ra, not Markata the human.
"Thunder. Thunder. Thunder. ThunderCats, HO!"
Omens crackled, another power source radiating from it, fusing with it, and blasted a fiery hot beam at Mumm-Ra. It was at least three times larger than it had been previously, and Echo watched as the energy hit Mumm-Ra, hurtling him off into the distance.
Silence fell almost immediately after.
Crack.
The space-galaxy they were standing on began to fracture, as though it were a mirror, cracking away and falling into a white abyss.
"What's happening?" Tygra shouted, fighting to be heard over the din.
"Without the stone to hold it together, the entire Astral Plain is collapsing! Let's go!"
Echo didn't talk.
She didn't think she'd ever be able to.
She just started running. It was easier to run than to think, to feel.
"Find the portal, Lion-O! Move it, Echo!"
As if summoned, the golden light of the portal illuminated the space they were in, taunting them with a picture of the green grasses and skies of the elephant village. Echo didn't have to be told twice. She ran faster, adrenaline fueling her efforts.
Within a few short moments, they'd rushed through it, sprinting at full-speed away from the vacuum that suddenly started to suck everything in.
"Take cover!" Lion-O shouted.
Echo staggered, and let out a yelp of fear as two sharp, silver bits of metal were somehow spat out of the portal, and she was nearly gashed on her own swords. They flew away, impaling themselves deeply into the ground. She stumbled, and then fell down, watching the portal collapse in on itself, and she swore, just for a fraction of a second, that she saw Markata there, eyes gleaming as he stared at her.
But then a large, golden-clad figure was pulled in, completely eliminating what may have been Markata. Echo clung to the ground, her hair whipping around her face, the acrid smell of smoke and gunfire still lingering in the air.
"Pull me free, Panthro!" Grune shouted, body sinking into the portal. "Pull me free or we both die!"
Lion-O struggled to get back to his feet, sheathing Omens. "Panthro!"
Grune had his talons in Panthro's arms, and from the small droplets of blood dripping down his skin, Echo knew he wasn't going to let go.
Tygra wrestled with Lion-O, bodily grappling his younger brother. "We can't, Lion-O! It's too dangerous!"
Echo felt the winds die, just for a second. Wisely, she covered her head and threw herself against the ground, and not a moment too soon. The portal and the hut exploded, deafening all of them and raining bits of stone.
Silence settled over them, slowly easing the pain of the ringing in their ears. Gingerly, Echo pushed herself up, brushing wayward strands of hair out of her face. She searched for Panthro, and she paled when she caught sight of him.
The general was half-crouching, half-kneeling, his face pulled tight in agony. His arms were short stumps of what they had once been, with glowing halos surrounding the ends of them, the last bit of destruction the Astral Plains could wreak.
Panthro staggered, his eyes growing hazy. "Worth it."
With a loud thump, he pitched forward onto the ground and laid there, eyes closing.
Echo was alone, secluded on a small hill by the temple.
Just a short walk below her, the celebration was still ongoing, food and lights and muted music happy and inviting. She'd removed herself just a few short minutes ago, unable to be surrounded by exuberance. She wanted to be alone - no, she needed to be alone.
Like the (understandably) grumpy Panthro, she needed her space.
We both have our reasons. Poor Panthro. I don't know what we're going to do with him. He'd snapped at Snarf when the small caretaker had tried to feed him. Panthro wasn't used to being babied, missing his arms or not. Echo had decided then that she, too, needed her space, and she'd walked up the small knoll.
Through the grove of trees, she stared at the party, vaguely recalling the night Thundera had thrown their party to welcome Grune back. She smirked, if only to feel a little satisfaction that he was locked forever in the Astral Plains, and everybody was celebrating that. But it had been hard, forced, even for her to sit and endure the party. She didn't want join in it. She couldn't.
Everywhere she looked, Echo could see his face, over and over again. She could remember how he had touched her, how he'd calmly told her what her truth had been. . .
Her arm still ached, and idly, she covered the spot with her hand. All night, she'd been itching to discover why it still burned, but she didn't dare let anyone know she'd been hurt there. If it was what she feared, then. . . through her clothes, her skin felt hot, like it was still burning.
There was only one way to find out exactly what was happening there.
Without a second thought, Echo began to strip, slowly removing her tops. She had to find out what he'd done to her.
"I want you to remember exactly what I showed you today," Markata had told her, "It'll be the last kindness I can show to you."
Finally, she pulled off her black, long-sleeved shirt. Echo shivered, skin slightly chilled in the night air. With massive trepidation, she slowly rotated her right arm. . . and her stomach dropped.
There, on her skin, was the black pyramid.
Her fingers grazed the blotch of black, tracing the pattern, and immediately, the world around her faded.
She squealed happily.
"Isn't it awesome?" She asked, her voice breathless, "Look! Look, look! I didn't want a tattoo at first, but the COs said it was for 'identification purposes' and I had to get one anyway. I've had it for a day or two now and the red's going away. Looks spiffy, huh?"
She grinned at the comm feed in front of her.
Her newly-assigned captain stared back at her blandly.
"What's your number?" He asked, monotone, not seeming to care in the slightest.
"Zero-zero-twenty-one!" She chirped.
"Understood. I'll meet you tomorrow at 0630."
He leaned forward to turn off the comm feed.
"Markata," She asked. He paused, looking at her. "What's your number?"
For a long, pregnant moment, he hesitated. Something in those black eyes flickered, and his lips thinned as he pressed them together. Finally, he answered.
"Zero-zero-zero."
Echo sighed as the memory slipped away from her.
Like the other memory, it was true, and she knew it. Much as she desperately wanted it to be some conjured lie, some implant, she knew it wasn't. Her fingers skimmed over the tattoo, tracing the lines, and sure enough, just beneath the black pyramid, large black numbers stood out, proclaiming the number 0021. Echo traced it, the action comforting and familiar. She'd done it many, many times before.
Finally, she dropped her arm and stared up at the starry night sky through the tree canopy. She was glad that she was alone. Who knew how the Cats would react if they saw the tattoo? How would Lion-O react when - if - she told him about what happened in the Astral Plain? For that reason, she needed to be alone. She had to process it, to really sit down and think about what had happened.
This person that I was, she thought, raising her arms to look at all her scars in the moonlight, it's not who I have to be now
In the light, her scars glistened. Old, new, large, small, they all pockmarked her skin, telling a history of war. She stared at them, wondering if Markata - if Mumm-Ra - had given any to her. With that thought, she dropped her arms, and grabbed her shirt. As she dressed, a new resolution stole through her. Her fingers itched to take her journal in her hands, to write and draw.
She was too exhausted to cry, too tired to be angry. The only thing left for her to do was to shut down, mentally and emotionally. I looked, and I found what I didn't like. In the back of her mind, she could hear a chorus of voices, all warning her to stay away from her past, singing, "I told you so!" Pushing those thoughts aside, Echo slipped her shirt over her head, and gathered her voice.
"I was a soldier," She murmured, her voice barely audible, "I fought in a war. I don't know what this war was for, but it was still a war. Markata Ra-Mes was my commanding officer. . . Today, I know him as Mumm-Ra. I served Mumm-Ra. Mumm-Ra is - was - a human being."
Each word was said in a careful monotone, and they did nothing to rile her emotions. They were simply facts. Though, to be honest, she did feel remotely depressed that the only other human she knew was a mass murderer who had turned into a shriveled bag of bones. She'd been hoping to find a human in slightly more. . . virile standing.
Dressed, Echo leaned against a tree, and slid to the ground, cracking open her nearly-full journal. With little prompting, she began scribbling. The sounds of the party grew even more distance, and eventually, as time wore on, it grew even dimmer. The silence Echo settled into was comfortable - cathartic, even. She drew all of the facts, the memories, and she wrote about what had happened. She was so absorbed into this activity that, at first, she didn't notice Cheetara's gentle voice on the wind.
Echo perked up, however, upon hearing Tygra's voice - and then Cheetara again.
The human peered down, through the trees, and had a perfect view of the pair inside of the temple not too far from her secluded place. She glanced at them, noticing their soft eyes, their relaxed postures and quiet voices, and she knew she had no right to listen to their conversation. It was private, and for once in her life, the emotional vulnerability on Tygra's face made her want to respect his privacy.
They didn't talk anymore, though.
They kissed.
A wounded, pained gasp made her eyes flick over to another person, and she smiled a small, bitter smile. Lion-O stood not but a few tens of feet away, appearing shocked and heartbroken.
We both looked and found things we didn't like today.
Echo didn't move, nor did she say anything. She just sat there, even when Lion-O ran away, when Cheetara and Tygra moved over to the wall and sat together, leaning against the other.
She kept writing, scribbling, and drawing, until her fingers were red.
Changes were coming, she knew, and she welcomed every single one of them.
The evening bell sounded in the air, as if witnessing her silent vow.