Disclaimer: See ch.1
A/N: In the personnel files, anything in italics is not part of the story but something that would appear in a character bio in one of the world books and such. It's to help all of you die hard Rifts fans out there envision the characters better. For those of you who are not die hard fans, don't worry. The extra info has no impact on the storyline; I'm simply translating some of the character descriptions into character bios. Also, I know I said I would show the EVA casts reaction to rifts earth, but this chapter got so long that I decided to give the EVA cast reaction a whole chapter to itself. Ch.8 will hopefully display their reactions to this new world.
Of Rifts and EVAs
Book 1 of the Heaven's Storm trilogy
Chapter 6: Circe's personnel files
Dimension: Rifts Earth
Location: Guest quarters, Auberge research facility
Date: July, 5 109 PA
"Damnit, are you done yet?"
"You're acting like a child Misato, and if you continue to act like one I am going to have to send you to your room."
"Oh, you're just an old bitch."
"The old part was uncalled for." (A/N: Loved that line from the manga, just had to include it.)
Misato and Ritsuko sat in front of the computer terminal located in the common room of their shared quarters. The guest quarters were like apartments; you had a common room joining two bedrooms, each of which had its own bathroom. The quarters were spacious and quite comfortable.
Misato sighed; they had been at this for over an hour now and were still no closer to their goal than when they had started.
"Why is this taking so long?" Misato asked.
"I told you that hacking their system would take time."
"But it's been over an hour now." Misato whined.
"This system is some sort of combination holographic/manual interface. For me to access the files you want to look at, I need to use both the manual and holographic interfaces, and unfortunately I can't figure out how to activate the holographic interface. This system is completely alien to me; you shouldn't be surprised at how long this is taking."
'You'd think that with all the surprises that I've suffered up to this point, that she'd be right.' Misato thought.
Ever since waking up in the Auberge facility's infirmary, Misato had been hammered by one surprise after another. It was the same for all of them, she guessed.
The first surprise was that she was alive. Misato had thought they were dead for sure when the S2 engine had melted down. That wall of energy had hit the control room and then everything had gone dark.
No, the meltdown had not killed her. Its aftereffect though, had led to the second big surprise; she was no longer on earth. Well, not her earth anyways, or so Ritsuko had explained to them all.
Those two things had affected Misato, but neither had hit her with the shear strength the third surprise had. The changes her two charges had gone through.
Now that Misato thought about it, the moment she had walked in and seen Asuka and Shinji, she should have teased them mercilessly. As it was however, she had been too stunned to utter anything other than incoherent questions. She had been happy they were alive, but the age change had taken her completely off guard.
Ritsuko had tried to give her the explanation that she had received from the scientists who worked here, but Misato hadn't understood any of it. The only thing that had broken through her confusion had been the statement that the effects that had caused the aging could not be reversed.
Misato had asked if this change would affect their ability to pilot the EVAs, but Ritsuko did not have an answer. She wanted to begin testing, but the power for the EVAs had to be carefully rationed, at least until they either got home or another power source could be found.
For the past few days, question after question had flown through Misato's mind.
In fact, it had been those questions that had led her to ask Ritsuko if she could hack into the facility's computer system and find out more about their rescuers. Misato was more than a little suspicious of the Auberge facility and its inhabitants.
So far, all her questions about what they were doing here had either been blown off, or she had been given answers that had sent her bullshit meter off the scale.
It was now an hour later, and they were still sitting in front of the computer when Ritsuko threw her arms in the air in defeat.
"You're not giving up, are you?"
"I still can't access that damn holographic interface and if I can't access it, then I can't even get into the high level files. I'm sorry, but it looks like you require some kind of 'magic' key or something if you want to open the holo interface. Without that key, I'm not going to get in." Ritsuko said in an exasperated tone.
"Still, it's not all a bust; I was able to get into some interesting files."
"Like what?"
"The facility's personnel files." Ritsuko stated.
00000000000
Auberge Research Facility personnel files
Pass code required:
Thank you, data loading...
Auberge Research Facility personnel files- as of 109 PA
Information entered by Chief Researcher Dr. Damon Auberge.
Additional information added and filed by Circe.
File #1: Damon Auberge
Race: Human
Alignment: Unprincipled
Weight: 210 lbs. Height: 6'2
Age: Looks 29 years old (Due to the affects of dimensional travel; he is actually 35)
P.P.E: 230
I.S.P (1):80
Experience level: 10th level Rogue Scientist, 10th level Ley Line (2) Walker
Disposition: Acts like a father figure for the rest of the staff.
He does not try to be inspiring, he just is. He is smart, but not arrogant about it and is more than willing to simplify explanations for those who do not understand.
He is very strict about lab protocol, especially with the more dangerous sections, and will rarely allow protocol to be broken unless a sufficiently good reason is given to him.
He has all the Ley Line Walker's special abilities.
Spell Knowledge: All invocations (3) levels 1-8, as well as spells from many higher levels.
Psionics: Considered a minor psychic. Has all sensitive powers
(A/N: My knowledge of psionics is very limited. If anybody knows a lot about psionics in Rifts, please e-mail me so we can talk. I'd like to know more about them.)
Description: Damon Auberge was born in another dimension, but his parents migrated to Rifts earth shortly after he was born.
He grew up in the City of Lazlo (4) and very early on showed that he had great potential for magic. He was tutored in the ways of the Ley Line Walker and was on the fact track to greatness that was until the day tragedy struck.
Damon - now 14 - returned home from school one day and found a note from his parents explaining that they could no longer stay on earth, he was devastated. (Circe's note- Damon has refused to divulge the exact reason as to why his parents left earth.) Damon moved in with a friend of the family and for a long while fell into a deep depression.
Instead of letting the depression destroy him though, he channeled all the pain and anguish he felt into his studies and soon became a driven young man. By the time he was 19, he had surpassed many mages who were twice his age. After he had finished his studies Damon left Lazlo for a ten year journey into the Megaverse.
It was during his travels that he met the Elven Shifter Kurnus Mal'ec. The two traveled together for a while and soon became fast friends. During one of their travels together they defeated a powerful Demon Lord and 'inherited' its treasure cache.
Both of the mages had expressed an interest in starting a lab of their own where they could do research without the pressure of results required by fund providers. So the Auberge facility was born. (Circe's note- Mal'ec has shown no interest in having his name added to the title.)
Weapons: As owner of the Auberge facility, he has access to all the weapons in its armory. Whenever he goes into to battle, he usually carries a number of magic scrolls with him.
Favorite items: He carries a Sword of Atlantis, a Greatest Rune Weapon (5). He acquired it sometime during his journeys.
Money: Even after the founding of the facility, Damon is fabulously wealthy, though he does not flaunt it.
Allies: He has high level connections in Lazlo and New Lazlo, Tolkeen (6), The Federation of Magic (7), Dweomer (8), and other magic communities.
He has many friends and acquaintances from his traveling days and he can call on them for help. The staff of the facility totally believes in him and would follow him any where.
Enemies: A number of jealous Federation Lords (9), who see his facility as a ripe fruit waiting to be plucked. However, his treaty with Lord Dunscon (10) prevents them from attacking the facility.
Damon also made enemies during his days of traveling through the Megaverse.
File #2: Kurnus Mal'ec
Race: Elf
Alignment: Scrupulous
Weight: 120 lbs. Height: 6'7
Age: 89 years old.
P.P.E: 245
I.S.P: 10
Experience level: 12th level Shifter
Disposition: Always seems to be cheerful and in a pleasant mood. The few times when he gets serious are when things are about to go to hell.
He is the number two guy at the Auberge facility, but he doesn't mind.
Has all the Shifters abilities.
Spell knowledge: All invocations levels 1-5, plus he knows a number of spells from the higher levels, most of which deal with rifts. He also knows some limited Temporal magic.
Psionics: None
Description: Kurnus was born to a community of Elves who lived in a relatively peaceful dimension. In the society which he grew up, one's hair color determined your place in life. With his raven black hair, Kurnus was destined to become a priest. His parents were ecstatic; being a priest was an honor.
Kurnus however had no wish to become a priest. He had neither the patience nor the interest. He wished to study magic, preferably the path of the Shifter.
His parents were horrified that he would even consider straying from their society's codes and he was strictly forbidden from studying magic. Unfortunately, with his lack of psychic abilities this greatly hampered his ability to become a priest.
Eventually Kurnus got fed up with it all and ran away. He had the luck to be taken in by an aging Shifter, who taught Kurnus all he knew. During his time with his mentor, Kurnus discovered the fact that he loved magical theory and study.
When his teacher died, he left all his belongings to Kurnus, the most precious of which was a massive library of texts that the Shifter had collected during his travels through the Megaverse.
When the time came to found the Auberge facility, Kurnus donated the entire library to the fledgling facility. Kurnus sometimes thinks about his family, he bears then no ill will and does miss them. He hopes one day that he might be able to go home and show his parents how successful he has become.
Weapons: Same as Damon Auberge.
Favorite Items: Kurnus carries a magic staff which increases his Shifter powers. It also supplements his P.P.E reserve.
Money: Has a large fortune, accumulated from his days of traveling the Megaverse.
Allies: He has friends in many dimensions. He and Damon are close friends and neither would hesitate to give their life for the other.
Enemies: Same as Damon.
File #3: Scott Fenix
Race: Unknown (Presumed to be human)
Alignment: Anarchist (Diabolic: See insanities below)
Weight: 185 lbs. Height: 6'1
Age: Looks to be 20 years old.
P.P.E: Varies (See insanities below) is usually 210
I.S.P: Same as P.P.E, is usually 45
Experience level: 8th level Ley Line Walker, 5th level Techno-Wizard
Disposition: Scott is usually quiet and introverted, especially around people he does not know. Around his friends, Scott can be quite talkative.
He values all of his friendships very highly and a transgression against a friend is something he will not tolerate. (CN- Due to his memory condition, it is hard to tell why he is so protective of his friends. Scott himself feels that he some how failed a friend years ago and so strives to never let one down again.)
He has a very calm personality and it takes a lot to make him angry, and considering what happens when he becomes angry, this is a good thing.
Insanities: Multiple personalities (special) - Whenever Scott becomes extremely angry, another personality takes over.
This being calls itself Xi'Nef. At the same time, Scott's body goes through certain changes: he becomes a mega – damage creature, his strength becomes supernatural, and his magical abilities greatly increase. However, this transformation is rarely a boon as the new personality is quite evil.
Xi'Nef gives no mercy in battle, and enjoys bloodshed. He is capable of cold – blooded murder, torture, and a host of other crimes. He rarely tells friend from foe during a battle and so is a danger to both sides.
During these rages, only a few things seem to be able to calm Scott down. Stunning him, psionic assaults (Xi'Nef is vulnerable to psionics; the complete opposite of Scott), and the presence of his friend Marc, who seems to be the only person who can calm Scott.
He usually has no memory of the events that transpired while he was changed, though after every episode he has terrible nightmares. (CN-There is much conjecture amongst the psychiatric staff at the facility as to whether Scott or Xi'Nef is the original personality. All fear what the truth might be.)
Insanities: Memory loss- Scott has no memory prior to five years ago. What he can remember is vague and rarely helpful. However, it should be noted that only personal memories have been lost.
While he doesn't know where he learned all of his skills, Scott does remember the skills themselves. (CN- I believe that Scott has lost more than personal memories. During the episodes when he becomes Xi'Nef, he knows many more spells which he probably learned long ago, but has forgotten. Why this is I don't know, but further investigation was halted by Dr. Auberge.)
Has all Ley Line Walker abilities.
Spell knowledge: All invocations levels 1-7. He also knows more spells from the higher levels. When he becomes Xi'Nef, he knows all invocations levels 1-15! Also as Xi'Nef he has shown proficiencies in many other forms of magic including Necromancy and Shifting.
Psionics: Scott is considered a minor psionic; he only has the powers of Empathy, Telemechanics, and Object Read. However, Scott is nearly impervious to psychic powers. Xi'Nef would be considered a master psionic. He knows all physical, sensitive, and healing powers. He knows the super psionics: Psi-Sword, P.P.E shield, and Bio-Manipulation. Xi'Nef is vulnerable to psionic attacks (in game terms, he saves like a minor psychic.)
Description: Not much is known of the past of Scott Fenix. No history has been found on him and he doesn't remember much more than a few vague details. He does not question his past to much, he simply accepts what has happened to himself and is forging a new life at the facility. (CN- From some things that Scott has mentioned, it has been hypothesized that he forgot his past on purpose.)
Scott has become best friends with his fellow Techno-Wizard Marc Fitzler. The two are an odd couple; the loud and annoying Marc, and the quiet and introspective Scott. However, the two are as close as brothers and both will protect the other with their life.
(CN- The Dagony incident: Two years ago Scott and Marc were returning from the City of Dweomer when they were jumped by a Necromancer cult. Both of the Techno-Wizards put up a good fight, but were eventually defeated by superior numbers. They were captured and taken to the town of Dagony, the cult's hideout. There both of the Techno-Wizards were to be tortured.
The Necromancers decided to start on Marc, quite unawares of the effects the sounds of his suffering would have on Scott. After a few minutes of listening to his friend tortured, Scott changed into Xi'Nef. This was his first recorded appearance.
Xi'Nef easily defeated the cult. He left them unconscious and went into the village of Dagony. Most of the villagers were unaware of the cult, but this did not stop Xi'Nef. He slaughtered every living being in the town, even the pets and livestock. After he had finished with the town, he went back to the cult's lair and tortured them in a hideous manner.
When the Auberge team arrived on the scene a few hours later, the entire area was like a charnel house. The cultists had been dismembered, disemboweled, and yet were still alive. Scott was found unconscious and covered in blood, Marc's wounds had been healed and neither of them could remember what had happened. Only after a very thorough investigation was the truth discovered.)
Even with this incident in mind, Scott was promoted to head of the Techno-Wizard section last year.
Weapons: Has access to a number of TW weapons, many of which he made himself.
Favorite Items: .45 cal "Thunderer" magnum, TW Nerve Jammer, an assortment of scanners and TW tools.
Money: Only what he makes at the facility and the limited sales of his TW devices.
Allies: He can always count on Marc, his best friend. In fact most people at the facility like him.
Grunir Thorson is jealous of him; he had been hoping to get the position of head of the TW section.
Val Nostrom does not trust Scott, she believes him to be a danger to the facility.
Enemies: None that he can remember.
File#4: Marc Fitzler
Race: Human
Alignment: Unprincipled
Weight: 200 lbs. Height: 5'9
Age: 19 years old
P.P.E: 80
I.S.P: 29
Experience Level: 7th level Techno-Wizard
Disposition: Cheerful in an annoying way. He always seems to have a joke or two for any situation. He rarely takes anything seriously. He enjoys practical jokes which does not endear him to the people that he meets.
Most people either like him or hate him. If not for the grounding presence provided by his friend, Scott, Marc would most likely act like a fool all the time. He does have a few endearing qualities, the best of which is his loyalty to his friends. He may play jokes on them, but when worst comes to worst he will be there for them.
Has all Techno-Wizard abilities
Spell knowledge: All invocations levels 1-3, as well as some spells from the higher levels.
Psionics: A minor psionic, he has all sensitive powers.
Description: Marc Fitzler was born in a small town located in the Magic Zone. He lived there for a few years with his family until the day when tragedy struck. A Coalition patrol happened upon the village and destroyed it. Marc was the only survivor. A group of travelers discovered him in the ruins and took him to the city of Dweomer. He...
Error...Error
Connection timed out. All processes terminated.
0000000
"What the hell just happened Ritsuko?" Misato asked.
"Give me a moment."
For the next few minutes Ritsuko typed at the keyboard while Misato waited semi-patiently for her to finish.
"Well, it looks like the computer has some sort of internal timer in it. We're only allowed so much time online before we get booted off. I can't reset it without the holo-interface."
Misato sighed in exasperation.
'Just when we were learning some inside information, this happens.'
000000000
Location: Damon's office
Damon Auberge hated paperwork. It was the most boring part of his job. He would much rather be in a lab experimenting on some project.
Thankfully a beep from the comm.-unit in his desk drew his attention from the paperwork.
"Auberge here, what do you need?"
"Damon, this is Kurnus. I have some good news."
"What is it?" Damon asked.
"I think I've found this Tokyo-3 that our friends came from."
000000000
Next chapter...7: Ghost Town
Special Thanks: Eternally Lost Zeppo who has once again rescued this story from grammatical self-destruction.
A/N: I originally planned on revealing the rift's characters' backgrounds slowly over the course of the story, but many of the reviews asked for me to hurry up. I had planned on listing them all here, but as I was typing this chapter it got so boring that I went into brain stall. So I've returned to my earlier plans to reveal character background as the story goes along. Also, all backgrounds listed in this chapter should be viewed with suspicion, but that's all I'm saying. Next chapter will have the fate of Tokyo-3 revealed, and it's gonna be a surprise. Stay tuned. 'Til the next chapter.
Definitions:
I.S.P- Internal Strength Points, this is the energy used for psychic powers.
Ley Line Walker- A magic user who specializes in magic related to Ley lines.
Invocations- Spells that require that you speak them aloud to cast them.
Lazlo- Located on the ruins of Toronto. The greatest magic city in North America.
Rune weapon- An indestructible magic weapon made by binding the life essence of a being into a weapon (usually a sword, knife, spear, etc). Rune magic is considered to be a form of magical enslavement and is not very well known in the Megaverse. The Splugorth are masters of Rune magic. Rune weapons come in three varieties: Lesser, Greater, and Greatest.
Tolkeen- A magical city located in Minnesota. Currently at war with the Coalition States.
Federation of Magic- A loosely affiliated group of magic-users. The arch-nemesis of the Coalition.
Dweomer- A city of Magic located in the Magic Zone. Ruled by the mysterious and god-like Lords of Magic. A member of the Federation of Magic.
Federation Lords- Heads of their respective sects of the Federation of Magic.
Lord Dunscon- Evil ruler of one of the largest sects of the Federation of Magic. Believes himself to be ruler of all the Federation of Magic.
Review responses will appear in the next chapter.