Chapter 6

Birgitte opened her eyes one morning, and the first thought that greeted her was that her real name was Maya. She was delighted to find out what her real name was, of course, and she took great comfort in the fact that her memories were not lost to her forever. As Roger had said, they would return on their own, and in their own time. She told Catherine about it as they talked in the small cavern that served as the training ground for riflemen.

''Did any other memories come with it?'' Cat asked, as she aimed her laser rifle at a target shaped like a gihox, standing across from her. She pulled the trigger and a shot leaped from the barrel of the weapon. Cat was a good marksman, and the shot hit the target right in the area where its reproduction organs would be.

''I'm afraid not,'' Maya said. ''It only came to me this morning.''

Cat fired another shot, and this one hit the target in the spot between where its eyes would have been. She put up her rifle and turned to regard Maya, who sat on a makeshift bench near one wall, watching her rifle training. ''I read somewhere that one memory can trigger another,'' she said, turning back to the target, lining up a shot. ''Maybe if you think hard enough about your name, other memories related to it will appear.''

''I've tried,'' Maya said in a frustrated tone. ''It doesn't work.''

''Do you remember your name being called in some specific place?'' Catherine asked, pulling the trigger, and scorching a hole in the chest of the target. ''When you were being called to dinner, or berated for a prank you pulled?'' A mischievous smile crept across her freckled face as she once again turned to regard the blue haired woman, and her voice took on a dramatic flare. ''Or maybe you heard it shouted by a lover in the heat of passion.'' Catherine burst out laughing, for it was only a friendly joke.

Maya glared at her friend, though whatever intensity the glare might have held was lost, for her face was bright red, and in the end she laughed too.

''Anyway, do you want to try?'' Catherine said, offering the rifle to Maya.

Maya nodded and took the rifle, then pointed the gun at the target, one eye closed as her aim centered on the makeshift gihox. But she did not pull the trigger, for something within her recoiled at the thought of using the weapon. She held the rifle out to arms length, looking at it hard.

''Is something wrong?''

''I do not think I am supposed to use guns,'' Maya said.

''Another memory,'' Catherine said delightedly. ''Are you a pacifist then?''

Maya did not think so. She handed the rifle back to Catherine, but instead of sitting back down on the bench, she walked toward the target. She sized it up from several paces, falling deep within herself, allowing her instincts to take control. Then, to the disbelief of both herself and Catherine, she whirled in a circle kick, her foot connecting solidly on the hard wood, and a crack appeared in it.

Maya touched the crack running down its center, and thought about the image that had come into her mind the instant her foot had connected. For an instant she had been able to see her foot similarly connecting on the face of a guy with green skin and blue hair. She kicked straight out, and another image came to her. She saw herself kick a guy with a bloated, green arm in the groin, and the punch that followed brought the flash of herself punching a girl, this one an alien with golden tresses, in the stomach.

''You have to teach me to do that,'' Catherine gasped.

''I do not know how to do that,'' Maya said. ''I just do it.'' As if to accentuate her point she punched out, but this time she saw a mirror image of herself, except with purple eyes, turn the punch harmlessly aside. The thought of that mirror image sent a chill through her for some reason, and so she backed off.

''I almost pity the gihox foolish enough to pick a fight with you,'' Catherine said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Maya just smiled.

''Well, I have work to do,'' Catherine said, placing her rifle in a barrel by the wall. ''You should get some rest. You have not entirely recovered from your wound, and should not break any more training dummies today.'' With that, the orange haired woman offered a smile and left the chamber, leaving Maya behind with her thoughts and those few flashes of memory she had recovered.

xxxxx

Francesco stood in a fighting crouch across from Dusibol, who was in a similar stance, legs wide apart for balance, arms swaying and crossing. Francesco came on quickly, running several strides before launching himself into a flying kick. Dusibol sidestepped the attack and grabbed his friend out of the air, turning and throwing him across the courtyard.

Francesco managed to sort himself out enough to land in a roll, absorbing the impact and coming back to his feet in an instant. He glanced to the side to where Yu Lin stood, watching the sparring match with amusement. He brought his hand to his shoulder, to where she had given him a massive bruise in their last sparring match. Yu Lin might be small and seemingly fragile, but she was a very capable fighter, and while she lacked strength, her lightning fast strikes were precise, and she knew what nerve bundles to hit for maximum effect.

Francesco turned his attention back to Dusibol, and charged at him. He feigned a leap, but slid down instead, then snapped his legs together in a scissors grip.

But Dusibol was not caught flat-footed, and he leaped into a backward somersault that brought him clear of the attack. Francesco put his feet under him and launched at his opponent, but Dusibol grabbed him about the torso, heaved and twisted, bearing him to the ground, and putting him in a lock from which he could not escape.

Yu Lin burst out laughing as she watched Francesco try to squirm his way free of the lock without success. Then she noticed bluish-white light, and an astral projection of master Connor Stax hovered in the air before her. The projection was upside down, for the master was still learning how to properly project his form. The image vanished, then reappeared, this time not upside down. Francesco and Dusibol rushed over and offered a respectful bow to their mentor.

''Greetings,'' the master said. ''How are things going?''

''King McCann has sent soldiers out to help defend the towns,'' Yu Lin said in a slight accent. ''But sadly they are not fairing too well, and the gihox press ever deeper into the kingdom.''

''I see,'' Connor said, stroking his astrally projected chin. ''The Redakai have just reached the conclusion that they will be sending soldiers of the order to fight the gihox. Still, it will take some time to marshal our forces and send them to Ireland.''

''Then they might come too late,'' Dusibol said. ''The gihox advance with terrible speed, sacking town after town. Refugees stream to Castle McCann.''

''As much we have heard,'' Connor said. ''Master Baphamel has offered to go and train the refugees, that they might help in the effort of beating back the gihox.''

''Then we will surely win this war,'' Yu Lin said.

''Training takes time,'' Connor said. ''And right now, time is at a premium.''

The conversation ended a short while later with the astral projection vanishing, and Francesco went off to the sideline while Yu Lin and Dusibol sparred.

To be continued...