Elena woke up slowly. She looked at the window, at the light coming through it. It was late afternoon. Sitting up, she groaned and placed her hands to her head. She had a massive headache. She could remember what had happened. What she'd done. It didn't seem real though. More like a dream. But it wasn't a dream. She had really changed, really attacked her friends. She had really tried to kill them...

When the throbbing in her head subsided a little, she looked around more closely. She was in the bedroom, alone. And somehow she was wearing one of Chance's shirts. That part she didn't remember. But then, her own clothing had been shredded off of her when she had changed, so that did make a little sense.
Carefully, she got up and got dressed. What day was it? She couldn't remember. It should have been Sunday. That would have meant that the salvage yard and garage were both closed. It would also be why she didn't hear anything downstairs. But where were the guys?

Slowly, she walked towards the door. She paused before opening it. She could hear the TV on. Elena's ears flicked as she listened. It sounded like Scardy Kat cartoons. "Chance..."

Opening the door, she walked out.

Chance was laying on the couch watching cartoons. He jumped at the sound of the door and her paw-steps, reflexively grabbing a laser gun that was on the coffee table beside him. His glavotrix was too badly damaged and in need of repair. He turned around quickly to face her with it aimed.

Elena froze, her hands held up.

He saw it was her, not the werekat she had been. He gave a deep sigh and put the gun back on the coffee table. They kept weapons hidden in different locations in case of emergencies, but almost never right out in the open.

"Sorry."

She understood his reaction. As the werekat, she had no control over her actions. And each time, it became harder and harder to fight off the change. She knew that if this kept up, there would be a time when she couldn't fight it off. When she'd change permanently.

"Chance I... I'm sor..."

"Don't."

She looked up sharply, surprised by the hard tone of his voice. She'd deserved it though.

"Just tell me, 'why'. Why didn't you tell us?"

"I... I couldn't. I didn't want you to worry."

"Didn't want us to 'worry'? Elena, you could have killed us. If I hadn't gotten there in time, you would have torn Jake to pieces!"

She looked down, ashamed, then closed her eyes. A small tear rolled down her cheek. She remembered that all too clearly.

She jumped slightly in surprise as she felt him wrap his strong arms around her. She leaned into him and did something that she had not permitted herself to do for many years. She cried.

"Chance... I'm so sorry!"

"I know it's not your fault. So does Jake. But you should have told us."

"I know. Where... where is Jake?"

"Megakat City Hospital."

"What?"

She looked up, terrified that something horrible had happened to him as a result of her changing.

Chance shook his head calmly.

"He's alright. But the Stone burned into his hands pretty bad when he used it to stop you. He told them it was a mechanical accident working in the garage, and is being treated for the burns. He should be back within the next hour or two."

It was her fault. The Stone was meant for her alone, unless she bid it allow someone else to temporarily use it's power. Jake had been allowed to use the Moon Talisman's power by Mau, who was in temporary possession of the talisman at the time. But that was over two months ago, before the talismans merged. The Stone's power was much stronger, and far more dangerous. Perhaps she didn't cause Jake's injuries directly, but it was still her fault.

That night Elena slept only barely. The little sleep she did get was plagued by nightmares. She had fully changed, twice, and the beast within her was gaining in power. She saw herself, in the form of the werekat. The events of the past few days replayed in her mind, every gruesome detail enhanced by the dream. But in her dream, the morning's fight ended differently. Chance didn't fire the missile in time. Her claws came down. Jake ended the same way as the mutated scientist back in the sewers. Her fiery eyes then turned to Chance.

Elena tossed in her sleep. She knew what the dream was doing. She knew what was going to happen. She didn't want to see it. But the dream held her. She couldn't wake up. She was forced to watch, in her mind's eye, as the fight came to it's end. But this time, Jake wasn't there to stop her. She had already killed Jake. She stared straight into Chance's eyes, then brought her claws down. It was over.

The dreams then shifted back into the Shadow Relm. She saw her encampment. It had been destroyed. Kats were butchered like cattle. The livestock was slaughtered. Corpses littered the ground. Ground which was stained in blood, turning the soil and grass a dark shade of crimson. The red sun bathed everything in that same dark red.

She saw everyone that she had ever known and befriended. Everyone she had cared about. Everyone she had ever loved. She saw Jake and Chance. She saw Birman, Cymric and Mau. Her mind took her even further back. She saw her parents, whom she was told had been killed when she was only a kitten. Their bodies were among the rest of the corpses. They were all dead. Ripped apart by her own claws. Their blood stained her hands. Her fur was soaked in their blood. Blood that would never come off. Standing off in the shadows stood a figure clad in dark red robes, his face hidden under his hood. She felt his eyes watching her. He laughed, a hollow, mocking sound.

Elena gasped and sat bolt upright, her eyes wide and wild. She was breathing hard, her heart pounding in her chest. It took several seconds for her to calm down enough to realize where she was. She looked down at her hands. They were normal. The scars of her own claws had faded to almost nothing. She was healing fast. And she knew why.

Elena closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. No matter what, she had to make sure she always stayed calm. Almost emotionless. Turning her head, she looked down to her side, and saw Chance asleep in bed next to her. She was thankful that he was a deep sleeper. Trying to wake him sometimes was like trying to wake the dead. She shivered. Bad analogy.

Getting up slowly, her eyes already adjusted to the darkness, she found a pair of jeans and a purple t-shirt. Putting on her blue silk night robe, she took the clothing and went into the bathroom. She desperately needed a shower. It was only a dream, but she still felt as if her fur were stained with blood.

After the shower, she got dressed and walked out into the kitchen, her hair still dripping wet. Opening the fridge, she took out a bottle of water, then closed it again and made her way downstairs. It was still very early, around 3 am. Not unusual for her, she always woke up much earlier than the guys did.

Elena made her way down into the hangar below the garage. She looked over at the Turbokat. The repairs were almost complete. She couldn't sleep. Wouldn't. So she needed to do something. Putting on a pair of heavy work gloves and a safety mask, she picked up the welder and went to work.

It was now Monday morning. Jake and Chance opened the garage at 9 am like always. Elena continued to work on the Turbokat while the guys remained upstairs in the garage above. They weren't very busy today, only three cars and two tows. Even so, Elena finished before they did. Sometime a little after three in the afternoon, she emerged from the hangar.

"Jet's done."

Chance looked up from the car engine he was working on. "You finished the repairs?"

"Yeah." She then went to the cooler for another bottle of water. "Ran a systems check. Everything appears to be working fine, but you may want to run it again just to be sure."

Jake set down his paperwork and stepped out of the office. "I'll run a final check later when we're finished. Thanks Elena."

She just nodded. She still couldn't bring herself to look Jake in the eyes after what happened yesterday. She knew he didn't blame her. Jake wasn't the type to hold any sort of grudge, but she still blamed herself for what happened. Especially when she saw the bandages on his hands. Turning, Elena walked quietly back upstairs.
Elena sat on the edge of the bed, setting the bottle of water on the dresser next to her.

"Cymric, I could really use your help right now, my friend. You were the only one who always seemed to know what needed to be done. What needed to be said." She spoke mainly to herself. Her best friend of ten years was dead. And it wasn't even in this world, but in the Shadow Relm. She had learned from the Witches how to speak with spirits, but she didn't think that would work here, in this vastly different world. But where Witchcraft couldn't help her, another form of magic could. She form of magic that she didn't chose, but had chosen her.

Elena picked up the Astral Stone, holding it gently in her hands. Slowly, she looped the golden chain around her neck. Despite it's size, the stone was very light. She almost couldn't feel it's weight at all. Closing her eyes, she concentrated. The two colored bands of the spiral began to glow softly in unison, creating a soft purple light. She let herself go. Merged her mind with the stone. Let it's power flow through her. She felt every cell of her body energized by the Stone. She searched it. Searched it's vast expanse of energy. Searched for something in the magic that could help her.

Her trance lasted for nearly half an hour, but to her it was both an instant and an eternity. Then something broke it. Another magical energy. Strong... powerful... ancient... close! Elena's eyes opened suddenly just as the alarm sounded. Jumping up, she ran out of the room and down the stairs, reaching the guys just as they hung up the communicator.

"What is it?"

"The Pastmaster's back."

All three ran to the back of the garage and jumped down through the hatch. Jake and Chance ran to their lockers and quickly changed into their flight suits while Elena powered up the pair of supercomputers.

Jake had to partially remove his bandages to put the gloves on. He winced from the pain but did his best not to let the other two notice. They did, especially Elena.

"Looks like you got the jet repaired just in time."

Elena flicked her ears back at the comment. She knew Jake was concerned about her.

He knew she blamed herself, even though he didn't. But for now, he let it go. They had a job to do.

Elena put on her headset. "System online. Be careful guys, this is gonna be bad. I felt an extreme amount of magical energy. Whatever this Pastmaster is up to, it's big."
"It always is with this guy." Chance was more than ready. He had pent up energy to burn and was ready to kick the Pastmaster's tail back into the Dark Ages, again.

The she-kat worked the controls. The Turbokat's systems were already starting up. As soon as the guys jumped into the jet's cockpit she was already lowering the lift, rotating it into position, and closing the jet's canopy by remote. The instant the lift locked in place below, she gave the green light and opened the hangar door. T-Bone pushed the power-lever forward, and the jet shot forward down the runway, and out into the sky.

Elena brought up the optical monitoring system on her larger monitor. Around her neck, the Stone glowed brightly. She had never encountered the Pastmaster, but a sorcerer who could control time bothered her. And the power she felt was intense. And there was something else. Something she had felt before. A dark, twisted presence. She could feel it strongly with the aid of the Stone.

"Hey, guys. I think Dr. Viper's up to something as well."

Razor checked his scanners. There was definitely a strong metaphysical disturbance downtown. No doubt one of the Pastmaster's time vortexes. "What makes you say that?"

"I can feel it. The Stone. His mutations give off a specific aura, and I can feel it."

T-Bone angled the jet in the direction of the disturbance, exactly where Callie had told them it was. "Great. So we got both the Pastmaster and Viper to deal with? Are they working together?"

"I can't tell for certain. But from what I'm feeling from the Stone, I'd have to say 'yes'. Both the magical energy and the unnatural one seem to be coming from the same location. And they're spreading. Fast!"

"She's right!" Razor couldn't believe what he was seeing on his scanners. "T-Bone, we've got a big problem!"