"where am I?" thought Marian as she looked around in what appeared to be a long cave. Like a tunnel through a mountain without a road.
Seeing no other choice, Marian walked through the cave-like tunnel, wondering where she was going. After three steps Marian realized that she wasn't alone, there were two other people with her, one walking on each side. She couldn't determine what they looked like, but they felt familiar. As the three walked, they came upon a door with a symbol adorning it. One that looked like an animal footprint, or a trident pointing down.
"That symbol, where have I seen it before?"
With no answer, the three there began to push on the door. It opened with rays of light shining through, warm and bright like the sun. Marian tried to peek through, eager to see what was on the other side…
"WAKE UP! HAPPY CAT SAYS YOU SLEEP TOO MUCH."
Marian's eyes bolted up and her body rose up, revealing she was in her bed with her alarm clock going off.
"damn, what a…. night?" Marian groaned, yawning and stretching before shutting off her alarm clock. When she did, memories came rushing to her. More specifically, when she & her team were about to destroy a drug factory. They were ambushed & on the verge of being killed, only to be saved by mysterious figures who not only saved them but destroyed the factory on their behalf.
"Who were those guys? And what was up with that dream?"
She got out of bed and got dressed, then she headed downstairs into the dining room. There she saw her cousin Marc, a chubby brunette teen a year younger than her, eating a bowl of cereal while he watched the local news. The main story was about the destroyed drug factory the power corps targeted last night.
"congrats cuz, look like a major victory for the power corps," He smirked as he watched Marian making her own bowl of cereal.
"it would have been if we were the ones who took it down,"
"say what?"
"Lash trapped us; we were just about finished when these guys came in. None of us saw them, but they moved like lightning. All I saw were red & blue blurs that took out all of Lash's goons, including her before smashing all her equipment & her shipments before disappearing."
Marc was shocked to hear what happened last night. "I should have been there to help…we built the power corps together,"
"no, you needed to be here with Anna. I know you'll keep her safe, unlike him."
Suddenly a man wearing a Metro City police uniform came downstairs; in his arms was a little girl with brown hair, about 4yrs old.
"good morning, kids."
"morning, uncle."
"Morning," Marian said with forced politeness as she got up, taking Anna from her dad and placing her in her booster seat.
"uh, so uncle, I thought you were off today." Marc asked.
"I was, but thanks to this the departments have an emergency meeting; we're trying to figure out a way to do damage control,"
"damage control?" Marc repeated, not understanding.
"thanks to this, the gangs might retaliate and it could be in any way. So we need to find a way to prevent this, no doubt this is the work of those vigilantes, the power corps."
"so just because they're taking a stand against the gangs when you're not, they are the problem?" Said Marian, offended.
Mr. Kelly sighed, like anyone forced to repeat something they didn't like doing the first time. "Marian we've been over this before; the truce may not be the best thing we have, but it's better than it was before."
Marian glared at her father. "This isn't a truce; it's surrender. You gave them the city at night; you let them do whatever they want and the people suffer for it."
"you were too young to remember what it was like in the beginning riots day & night; this was the only way to regain some level of order. The gangs would have won if we hadn't agreed to this."
"They did win dad, you just won't admit it. I know it & so did mom."
The tension was rising so much that Anna looked like she was about to cry, something Marc noticed which prompted him to change the subject.
"Hey, guys, did you hear?"
"What?" they both said
"Someone bought the land that the old restaurant where Aunt Sarah used to work is. I hear it's being opened up again."
"good, maybe someone else could help bring hope back to this city." said Marian.
"I don't have time for this…keep an eye on your sister. I'll be home later." Mr. Kelly remarked, getting up and leaving
"coward," Marian bitterly muttered.
"You really should cut him some slack cuz." Marc suggested.
"No, not now, not ever. He lost that right long ago."
They continued watching the news, hearing more stories of other Shadow Warrior businesses being attacked in different parts of the city & many members being sent to the hospital. Marian became interested; she knew for a fact that her team had nothing to do with these attacks.
"It had to be them, the guys who saved me last night."
"you sure?" Marc asked.
The news revealed one of the other locations attacked inside the calling card, for the ones responsible could be seen carved into the wall causing Marian's eyes to widen with shock as the expert revealed the symbol was called the three-toed mark of the dragon.
"you okay?" asked Marc
"…you said the old restaurant was sold, right?"
"yes…"
"keep an eye on Anna. I'm going out..."
Later…
Marian made her way to the old restaurant in the outdoor shopping district; she hadn't been there in a long time since it was shut down when she was a little girl but she still had fond memories of it. It used to be run by a friend of her mother's, Marika Lee & her husband John Lee; they had twin sons Billy & Jimmy, whom she played with all the time. Until one day her mom came home very sad, crying even telling her & her dad the bad news that Marika & John had died.
"I remember that day. It was the last time I saw them. The restaurant was shut down fast & the boys were being taken away by a lady who claimed to be their aunt."
There was a small glimmer of hope before they left, promising they would return despite the overwhelming sadness.
"It's been so long since I've seen them, but that symbol from the news was so familiar I have to check it out."
Coming up to where the old restaurant used to be, she saw a wall right between two other shops; however, a rectangular arch was opening into the restaurant's dining area. The entrance was closed off, but that wouldn't stop her as she snuck into the dining area.
"Good, I'm in…kind of strange I got in so easily. You'd think the new owners would have done a better job keeping people out. Especially in this rat's nest of a city." She thought
As Marian looked around the roofless empty dining area, she began to remember being little and playing with Billy & Jimmy while customers ate. There were even times when they were told stories by Marika and John. Moving to the open kitchen, she remembered seeing how her mom & Marika worked together cooking. She could practically smell the old meals again, adding to the nostalgia.
"I should have visited this place sooner."
Next to the kitchen was a door; Marian remembered it led two ways. One way was towards the freezer and supply rooms; the other was upstairs to the residential area where the Lees used to live.
"Okay, let's try upstairs."
Taking the stairs, she made her way to the upstairs apartment. To her surprise, this door wasn't locked either.
"This place looks like no one has been in here for a long time…was Marc sure someone bought it?"
Inside, she felt as if she had become guided by memories buried for years; following her instincts she made her way through the two-bedroom apartment into one of the bedrooms, the one she was certain used to belong to the kids instead of the parents. To her surprise, it was empty.
"damn it, what am I doing here? I haven't thought of this place or them in years. I didn't even remember them until to…day..."
Marian began to wonder what she had just said; it was confirmed that she had forgotten all about this place until that morning. It was her favorite place, so why did she forget it & why are these memories coming back now? Suddenly another memory popped into her mind, one where she was spending the night in this very room with Billy & Jimmy; however, all three heard a sound & investigated until they found something.
"the kitchen…"
Heading back downstairs into the restaurant, she looked around the small kitchen to see if what she saw in that flashback was true. Looking around, she only saw an empty kitchen that hadn't been used in years. There was nothing on the walls but dust and the occasional spider web.
"it's official. I'm going crazy. I guess in this city it was inevitable."
As she looked around, she noticed something out of the ordinary, even for the kitchen. There was something over the stove. As she moved in close, she saw what looked like a facial recognition panel. Like how some businesses would allow their employees punching in or out for their shifts.
"that's weird; why would this of all things be in a kitchen? Not to mention this looks like an outdated model."
Marian wiped away the dust from it making the panel come online. It then began scanning her face in the process.
RECOGNIZE SARAH KELLY
"mom?"
Suddenly the archway entrance disappeared, leaving only a wall followed by the shutter for the kitchen's open window closing. The ground beneath Marian's feet rumbled before a section of the kitchen floor dropped in, converting into stairs. Stepping back, Marian watched in shock as this happened.
"I think I just stumbled onto something big. Like conspiracy theory big."
Too curious not to, Marian made her way down the steps until she found herself in the same dimly lit cave from her dream.
"I remember."
As she made her way deeper, her memories once again guided her leading her deeper underground, as she remembered being very young the last time.
"If I'm right, then the door should…be here."
Finding the door with the trident mark, Marian took a deep breath. "Okay, Marian, you came this far; these weird memories have to mean something." She said as she was about to push the door open
Two people stood on the other side of the door as the doors opened, to her surprise.
Though she couldn't determine what they looked like, she felt something strange from them, something familiar.
"well done, Marian, you made it here fast." Said one of the figures,
"much faster than we thought you would." Said the other
"Who are you?"
The two unseen figures stepped into the light, revealing themselves to be nearly identical teenage males. One of them was blonde & the other was brunette, and they wore similar clothes, a white shirt underneath open vests with jeans and brown boots. The only difference was that the blonde's clothes were red & the brunette's clothes were blue. Seeing the two men blocking her path instantly put Marian into fight mode as she became determined to get past them.
"Look, I don't know who you guys are, but you're in my way, so move or be moved."
"What makes you so sure you can move us?" said the blonde one as he readied himself for a fight
"Whoa, Jimmy, calm down; no need for that,"
"Jimmy?" Marian repeated.
"back off, bro; she wants to fight; let me give her one," The blonde remarked.
"hey, the blue one, if he's Jimmy, then that should make you Billy…right?" Marian tested.
"yes, Marian…it's us, Billy & Jimmy Lee." The blue one answered.
Marian quickly relaxed, hearing that they were the boys from her memories; as she moved in close, Marian looked into Billy's eye, seeing if she could confirm it was them. To her surprise, she felt it was him, causing her suddenly catch up with emotion to hug her friend, surprising both brothers.
"It is you…" she said, breaking the hug but having tears in her eyes
"wow, you believed us just like that? I thought it would have taken longer," said Jimmy.
"I shouldn't believe it, but I can't help but feel it; you are my old friends…I can feel it."
"yup, it's us…we promised we'd see you again," Comforted Billy
"but how? I mean, I haven't thought of either of you in years."
"we'll explain everything later; follow us."
The three of them headed deeper into the underground area, Marian couldn't help but want answers as they reached an opening with a glow.
"ok, look, I accepted the fact that you two are my friends from when I was little, but you two still haven't explained anything to me."
"I know you have a lot of questions." Said, Billy
"yes…"
"I think it would be best to let him explain instead of us." Said Jimmy stepping inside.
As the other followed Marian, surprised, she stepped right into a large cave, honeycombed with walkways around with large natural platforms tethered together by bridges between the platforms' gaps. The cave was well lit as multiple lanterns were placed throughout the cave.
"What is this place?"
"our secret base…we're calling it the dragon cave," said Billy
"no, we're not because that's stupid. It's actually called the dojo," Said Jimmy in an annoyed tone
"wow, I remember you being a lot nicer and a bit of a crybaby,"
"Things change, Marian." Jimmy replied.
"Tell me about it. She sure didn't have those last time." Billy joked, pointing at Marian's chest.
Marian huffed and covered her chest, glaring at Billy. Nonetheless she continued to follow him and his brother.
The three made their way to the next platform; the new platform seemed a little different as it was decorated with various trophies & chests filled with treasure. This shocked Marian seeing all that gold.
"wow, now that's what I call a trophy room,"
Looking around while avoiding Billy, Marian noticed a shrine with a statue in it that made her very curious.
"what's that." She asked, pointing to the shrine.
"That statue contains great knowledge, child." Said a voice
Turning around, the three were greeted by another person, an old man with greyish hair dressed in a black & white robe; in his hand was a long black bow staff as well as a black sash with the symbol in the center wrapped around his eyes indicating he might be blind. Marian was visibly surprised at this person snuck upon them, but Billy & Jimmy weren't. They were acting as if this old man had done it to them a hundred time already.
"Welcome back, sensei…did you learn anything?" Said, Jimmy
"sensei?"
"Yes I have, and it is worse than I thought. The shadow's power over this city is extreme and suffocating."
"um, excuse me, look, I've been here long enough. Will one of you just tell me why I'm here?" Marian piped up.
The old man turns to Marian with a stern look on his face while Billy & Jimmy look a little nervous.
"very well, I believe it can be time to explain everything."
"thank you."
"My name is Ch'ien Kuai; however, I prefer to be referred to as Sensei…I believe you already know my grandsons."
"This guy is your grandfather?"
"yes, he's our mom's dad." Said, Billy
"tell me what you know about the one who once protected this city." Ch'ien asked.
Marian was surprised about the question. "Well, not much. I knew they existed, but I was really young when they vanished. My mom knew a lot, but she's gone now."
"I am sorry to hear that…I suppose that means your mother never told you."
"About this place? No, how would she know?"
Before she could finish, she quickly remembered the scanner in the kitchen who mistook her for her mother.
"Wait, did she help build this place?" Said Marian, shocked at the revelation about her mother, something she never knew.
"Years ago, my daughter Marika came to this city even back when it had small problems with evil. It was there she met your mother, not only becoming my daughter's first friend in this city but also helped her adapt to life in the city." Ch'ien began.
"Over time, they found this place; my mom built her restaurant to hide it." Explained Billy
"Eventually, during their war on crime, others joined them; our mom met our dad & your mom met your dad." Finished Jimmy
"wait, my dad was part of this?" Marian asked in disbelief.
"he didn't approve of vigilantes, so our moms never told him."
Marian was shocked to hear that her mother helped founded a vigilant group & how she helped the city. Her mother was one of the famed guardians? Suddenly Sensei looked up with an alert look on his face that concerned the others.
"what's wrong, sensei?" asked the twins.
"followers of the shadow have entered & are heading into the restaurant."
"How can you tell?" asked Marian
"See for yourself."
Reaching into the sleeve of his robe, Sensei pulled out a vial of green liquid & began pouring it onto the ground as he began chanting. "Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao!"
With the chant, the puddle started glowing before moving to become a perfect circle on the ground. Grabbing his staff; Ch'ien tapped the floor inside the ring and with that a window opened, allowing the twins & Marian to see what was happening. While Billy & Jimmy watched intently, Marian was visibly shaken at what had just happened.
"how…how is this possible…how did he…!?"
"I will tell you in a moment, but first, we should focus on the intruders." Said Sensei
Reluctantly Marian looked through the window despite her shock in the process.
"Stay here. I'll be right back." Said Sensei
"but shouldn't we-?"
"no, I will handle them; you stay here." He said leaving
As she & the twins watched them getting closer, they recognized the men wearing black & yellow suits walking to the restaurant.
"didn't we put some of those losers in the hospital last night?" Said Jimmy.
"I know those guys; they're part of Willy's gang." Marian noted.
"Who's Willy." Asked Billy
"His street name is Machine Gun Willy; he operates the Shadow Warrior's weapons manufacturing division & distribution system, so he's basically the reason every criminal in Metro City has a gun or whatever else they use instead. He also rules over this section of the city," explained Marian.
"so, he's a death dealer?"
"Yeah, word on the street is he's got multiple caches everywhere around the city. Guns, bombs, knives, you name it. Some he sells, but he keeps the deadliest ones for himself. Shouldn't we go help your grandpa?" asked Marian
"he'll be fine." Assured Jimmy,
"he might be blind, but he's no pushover." Billy added.
"Wait, he's blind?" Marian asked, shocked.
"Yeah, and no pushover. Pay attention to that part too." Billy insisted.
Marian couldn't help but be convinced that despite everything they had told her, there was still so much to learn.
End of Ch 2
