Kingdom Hearts: A New Beginning, Part Two IC

[korr.a]

Handles. Superheroes. Ava was positive her head would be spinning long before the day was done.

The idea of fighters and second names wasn’t unusual as she’d come from a place where the greatest warrior had become “The Dragon”, but something about this Mister Incredible’s making them up felt odd. His offer to help was met with a simple “no thank you”.

“Where I come from, those who fight earn their titles...” she spoke up, glancing from Mister Incredible to the woman that called herself Mocking Bird.

She wasn’t sure what to make of this world yet, as colorful as it was, what with these “heroes”. As taken as she wanted to be, doubts were already creeping in. “Are there many of you? And these dark creatures too?”

What kind of place had they landed in? Ava wanted to know. Who better to ask than the people that lived in this world?

[Revenant Sorrow]

Aria couldn't help but overhear what Ava told Mister Incredible, distracting her from her previous conversation. Again, she wondered what rock these people had been living under, but nevertheless replied in the other hero's stead.

"A handle is not an earned title as much as a second name used to conceal one's private identity. Or at least, it used to be in times past. Back when powers were uncommon it was not unheard of for people who had them to be discriminated against. Aside from that, those who stepped in the spotlight could have their loved ones used against them by whoever meant them harm. Right now it's more tradition than anything though, what with empowered people making up most of the remaining populace, and everyone being united against the Miasmics."

For a moment she wondered how to continue. "As for many? Define many? If records of the past are to be believed there used to be billions of people living on this world, I think the last global survey a few years ago had us down to less than 500.000? Still, the fact that it took nigh on a millennia for those creatures to dwindle us down to that number is a win in my book. A pyrrhic victory at best, but eh? You learn to savour what little blessings are given. In case we ever go down, we'll at least have given them one hell of a fight."

[True_Grave]

Most other men would have been annoyed or upset at Mocking Bird's comment, but Jason only laughed. He hadn't been expecting that one and it hit him funny. She kind of reminded him of Odie, only with a sharper tongue.
"No, no explanation needed on that handle."
When his laughter subsided, he listened as Aria explained some of the history of this world. Sadly, no Keyblade Master or wielder had come to save it from decline, but now he and his team could help them rebuild.

Even so, it was horrible to hear this history. Billions of people slain by dark forces? Such injustice burned in Jason's soul. With righteous anger filling him, his eyes hardened as he became all business. The change in demeanor and how serious he was were quite intimidating, even for his friends. It was times like this that the proud warrior lineage of the Highsmith family could be seen clearly.

"Who are these Miasmics?"
Shien also got serious, though he was less authoritative than Jason.
"They must have surrendered their hearts to the Darkness if Heartless and Dark Hearts are roaming freely."
Thankfully, no Nobodies or Soulless had yet appeared. This Metroville was on the verge of becoming just like Rayn's home world of Hollocity. For the sakes of those still living, Jason would not let that happen.

Mister Incredible was taken aback. These two didn't seem like rookie superheroes anymore, seeming more like battle-hardened veterans. The looks in their eyes were of men who had seen horrors words could scarcely describe. Were these really the same two young men he had just been talking to, full of boyish innocence and charm? Shaking his head, he put his focus back on the business at hand.
"The Miasmics--" he began, but Mocking Bird cut him off.

[Revenant Sorrow]

"... are what we call the beings we just fought, at least in this part of the world.", Aria said brusquely, the increasing twitches of her wings betraying that despite her stretches and short flight earlier, her muscles were still hurting to the point of slight spasms. It was straining her patience to a degree she had none, and she just wanted to get to point, despite possible rudeness.

She did send Mister Incredible an apologetic look though. She never had any doubt that he would have done right by these strangers, but despite being a good man, and one of the more experienced heroes alive, the other hero was also just a bit... too much..? She guessed? More than she could handle right now in any case.

"Judging by your words you call them differently? Heartless and Dark Hearts you said?", the heroine looked pensive for a bit.

"I can't say I really agree with the term 'Heartless', but I guess I can see where you're coming when it comes to the name 'Dark Hearts', since the beings seem to be greatly linked to darker emotions.", Aria shrugged, though if one looked at her eyes it was clear that Mocking Bird was feeling nowhere near as blasé as her words and posture would suggest.

"We call them Miasmics since the beings seem to be born from those negative feelings, and then further spread like a plague, both through turning beings into something like them upon death, as well as more people falling to things like hopelessness, despair and spite, these festering emotions giving birth to even more Miasmics, perpetuating the downwards spiral."

She caught sight of Ava, and realized she had been blowing person by person off, talking to them, only to suddenly start talking to another when a question she needn't even answer by herself was asked.

Her physical unease was giving way to mild agitation, which could possibly be read in her body language. It wasn't aimed at or caused by any of the others, or even just the conversation topic, in particular, she just felt pulled in too many directions at once by all the questions, and slightly anxious over the perceived rudeness from her side. Her pain-shortened fuse was definitely not helping the manner, but she tried not to show it.

[True_Grave]

Jason nodded at Mocking Bird's words. It was natural that they would have their own name for enemies that they had fought for centuries.
"Oh, I see," Shien started, "I thought the Miasmics were an organization working with the Heartless and Dark Hearts."
Jason allowed Aria to finish, realizing that she understood most aspects of their common enemy, but not all.
"I can fill in the gaps that you have about our enemy, but it's a long story. We had best have our meeting somewhere safe."

Mister Incredible nodded solemnly.
"We have an underground headquarters on the east side of the city. The Miasmics have never gotten in, so it's the safest place in the city. My family is there..."
A sadness clawed at his heart, but he wouldn't let it show.
"Alright, let's go there," Jason said.

Turning to Aria, he briefly illuminated her with Light from his hand.
"That will rejuvenate your stamina. You'll need it for the battle ahead."
Jason had noticed her strength flagging, and so did that as a precaution. He didn't know what threats lurked ahead, and so they would need all hands on deck. With all preparations made, they set off for the underground shelter.

[Xeynar]

"Sheesh, where did this fog come from?" Rayn inquired as he and his companions saw the town coming into view. The fog was getting thick, and it had rolled in awfully quick, almost too quick. Doubly strange was the fact that the sky looked clear as crystal as they were landing, so where could this fog have come from? A distant bell could be heard ringing, coming from the fortress that overlooked the port town. An alarm? Must have been, but for what exactly? At sea, from the thickest sections of fog, a ship ominously appeared and proceeded to open fire. But it was no normal ship. The cannonballs it fired weren't cannonballs at all, they looked to be made of fire that unfurled into yellow-eyed creatures with fiery tendrils. To top it all off, the ship had a large familiar heart-shaped emblem on its sails that marked it as a Heartless, meaning the fire monsters it appeared to be sending out were also Heartless.

"A Heartless... ship?" said Rayn, having to admit to himself this was definitely new to him. He'd seen countless Heartless variants but none that were like a pirate ship before, "Come on, we have protect the town!" he shouted to his compatriots, having already summoned his Crimson-handled Keyblade and taking off in a run. Surely the others would follow suit. As the quartet finally reached the town, they found that the fire Heartless were not the only ones attacking. Humanoid shadow figures also attacked, appearing to be dressed like pirates but with the Heartless emblem showing on their bandanas.

"You three defend the town!" he ordered, before turning his gaze seaward where the Heartless Ship still floated, "I'll take care of that ship." he told them before breaking away from them to approach the dock. Once he reached the water, Rayn didn't stop moving forward. Instead he thrust his Keyblade forward, "Blizzaga!" he aimed the spell along the surface of the water, causing the icy projectile to leave behind a thin line of slick ice in its wake. Rayn leaped and harnessed the Light to push him forward along the line of ice so that it would carry him toward the ship.

As Rayn closed the distance, one of the cannons took aim and fired two shots at him, producing a pair of the fire Heartless to try and impede his approach, "Sorry, but I'm coming aboard! Just try and stop me!" Rayn proclaimed as he leaped from the makeshift ice rail, the Light still giving him enough momentum to easily reach the height of the Heartless. He slashed one of them, taking it out in a single blow as his momentum carried him above the ship's guard railing. He then hurled the Keyblade at the second Heartless at the height of his jump, then shifted his downward momentum so that he could land on the deck of the Ship with nimble tumble.

Almost immediately, more pirate Heartless appeared, but also a different type that looked a bit bigger and also floated above while swinging some kind of bladed anchor weapon. Rayn reached forth a hand and his Keyblade once appeared in it's familiar crimson flash, "Alright... now who wants to go first?"

[True_Grave]

On the way to the underground shelter, the team faced several waves of Heartless. Once they dispatched the last one, they reached the edge of the city. Mister Incredible lifted up a trap door disguised as grass and soil, allowing everyone to enter. Jason and his team were led to a conference room, where they could have discussions. Once they were seated, Jason spoke up.
"There are things you need to know about the Miasmics."

Jason explained to them about the Heartless, how they were dark beings without hearts that sought them from both people and worlds.
"There are also Nobodies."
He explained that Nobodies were the heartless bodies of individuals with strong hearts.
"Lately, however, there is a different kind of enemy posing a great threat to the worlds. They are Dark Hearts, Nobodies who have regained the dark parts of their hearts. They are being controlled by a group called the Guild of Darkness."

Jason decided not to tell them about the Harbingers and Soulless, as that was a long and complicated story.
"So, the Dark Hearts are attacking Metroville?"
"Yes, and there's a good chance that someone with the Guild is leading them."
"So what do we do?" Mocking Bird asked.
"The only thing we can do. We stop the Guild and seal the heart of your world away."

---

Odie, Jessica, and Thomas were all following Rayn's lead.
"Sure is odd weather," Odie commented, "one minute it's nice and sunny, and the next it's not."
"I don't like not being able to see the enemy," Thomas muttered.
As they got closer to the town, they could hear an alarm bell ringing from the nearby fort.
"Sounds like trouble," Jessica said.
Her words proved prophetic as a pirate ship appeared on the horizon.

"Pirates? Odie asked.
None of them had ever seen a real pirate ship, so for a moment, it fascinated them. However, this soon appeared to be no ordinary pirate ship.
"A Heartless...pirate ship?" Thomas asked, puzzled.
Any other feelings were soon replaced by alarm as the ship started firing on the town. Lives were now at risk, so it was go time.

The four raced into town, Keyblades at the ready. When they got to town, they saw it being attacked by pirate Heartless. After Rayn gave his order, they sprung into action. Odie tossed her Keyblades, taking down many fireballs. Thomas held his Keyblade as if the handguard were brass knuckles, punching at the Heartless. Jessica used a combination of magic and swordplay to finish off the nasty buccaneers.

Turning to the ocean, she watched as the man she loved went alone to take down the pirate ship. Although Rayn was a great fighter, she couldn't help but be concerned for him. Odie put a hand on Jessica's shoulder.
"He'll be okay."
Jessica turned to her and they shared a smile before she turned back to the ship.
"Yeah, I should be more afraid for those Heartless, I think."

[korr.a]

Ava sat in relative silence as the information discussed was all new to her and much less so to her newfound team and even these strangers.To be fighting all these creatures day after day... the thought gave her a sudden chill and she rubbed at her arms.

"I don't think I'd believe it all if I hadn't seen the creatures myself..." she trailed. She had a lot of questions but a thought stood out over all the others—the same one she'd been thinking about for some time in her world. "Why let these creatures run free? What does this guild want with the heart of a world..?"

[Xeynar]

As Rayn made aerial strikes against the floating Heartless, the Pirates on the deck tried to close in with their cutlass weapons. But Rayn had dealt with more than enough Heartless in his time to get himself out of a spot like that. He spun his body around, channeling a Magnet spell in order to forcibly pull the Pirates in close, so that his Keyblade could cleave right through them before his spinning was complete.

The floating Heartless readied a powerful swing with its anchor weapon, but Rayn was too quick on the draw, "Stopga!" he shouted in a commanding tone, letting the magic explode from the tip of his blade and lock the Heartless in place for a few split moments. Those moments of course, were used to slice and dice the stopped Heartless at least a dozen times before the Stopga wore off, and all those strike caught back up, killing the foe instantly.

The ship suddenly rocked from an unknown impact. Right after, Rayn spotted a second ship rapidly closing in on the Heartless ship. It was different, looked normal, even flew a normal looking flag. It had to belong to the locals, but their cannons wouldn't do much against a Heartless. But the impact did destroy the door leading to what would have been the lower decks. Instead though, there was inky blackness and two yellow eyes peering out from within. Suddenly it made sense. The ship wasn't a Heartless, it had been possessed by a type of Heartless known for taking control of inanimate objects! Only by damaging the object enough would there be a precious opportunity to force the Heartless out. And even now the destroyed door was beginning to repair itself.

"Oh no you don't!" Rayn thrust his blade forward and aim a beam of light into the opening. Inside the Heartless found itself ensnared by a chain of light attached to the tip of Rayn's Keyblade. Rayn pulled with all his might and the Possessor Heartless popped out of the doorway and was now floating about helplessly around the deck of the ship. Rayn wasted no time, he aimed his Keyblade and fired off a salvo of about six Dark Firagas that homed in on the Heartless and completely incinerated it before it could possess any other objects.

But the other ship hadn't ceased its fire, and a new volley of cannonballs now tore the ship Rayn was on apart and the vessel began slowly sinking. Rayn had to escape, and the only place to go was to the other ship which was now less than a hundred meters away. Rayn dashed to the side rail and pushed himself off of it. But rather than fall down into the sea, a handful of little yellow lights circled around Rayn as he briefly channeled his ability to fly that Peter Pan had previously gifted him. He shot forward at a break neck pace, almost colliding with the other ship's side rail when he seemed to bounce off of it and then somersault safely onto the deck.

Unfortunately, when he stood straight up again, Rayn found himself staring down the barrels of what looked like nearly thirty muskets. Not exactly the greeting he was expecting, "Drop your weapon and surrender, Pirate!" a voice demanded in a commanding tone. From the ranks of the blue coat soldiers, one in particular stepped forward. His uniform looked a bit cleaner and more distinct than the others, which meant he was likely the commanding officer. He also had a look of anger on his face, and Rayn couldn't help but get the feeling the man was pissed off at him specifically for some reason. But why? Rayn had never seen this man before, "Was the Ironsides not enough for you? Come to take another, then? Trying to start a fleet, are we?"

"What are you talking about?" Rayn was about to step forward but the men reaffirmed their aim as a warning for him not to move, "I've never seen you before in my life. And in case you failed to notice, I took out that ship and saved your port. Is this your idea of gratitude?" Why did this man call him a pirate? Admittedly, with his eye-patch Rayn might have looked like a pirate to these men, but why were they acting like they'd met before? Either way, this was trouble. Rayn could probably fight his way out of this, but at what cost? He didn't come here to pick a fit with the locals, and hurting or killing these men because they didn't know any better was certainly not something he wanted on his conscience. In the end, it looked like only had one choice.

From the perspective of his friends at the port, they would see the other ship rapidly approach and open fire moments after Rayn boarded. They were too far away to see whether he made it off the ship when it sank. But thankfully, they didn't have to worry about Rayn's well-being for long. The other ship came in and docked, and they would see Rayn escorted off the ship by naval soldiers with muskets. They would also notice Rayn's hands behind his back, clapped in irons. While their first instinct would obviously be to go help him, they would instead manage to notice the subtle signal he gave. Behind his back, he gave a very tiny wave of his hand to signal them to keep away for now.

"I told you already, Captain, I'm no pirate." Rayn said as he was led away.

"And I suppose you expect me to believe our finest ship was stolen by some imposter who somehow managed to look exactly like you and wield a weapon exactly like yours?" the commanding officer retorted in a dry, sarcastic tone, "And that's Commodore, to you. Commodore Thomas Northcott, and don't you dare forget it, you pirate scum!" he then addressed the men, "Take him to the Fort. The Governor will put him on trial and decide his fate in due time."

[True_Grave]

As Jason and friends hunkered down in the safety of the underground bunker, the Dark Hearts continued to ravage the city. Standing atop a high skyscraper was the Guild of Darkness member known as Xack. He was fairly new to the Guild without much experience, so he had been sent to this planet in order to get his feet wet. Being a fan of Organization XIII, he wore a black cloak and hood over his whole body as well as chose a name with an 'X' in it. He remembered little of his past life before he was a Dark Heart and cared about even less of it. His desire was to see the Guild succeed where Organization XIII had failed.

Of course, that was going to be easier said than done. Jason Highsmith and some of his merry band had arrived, complicating his job considerably. More than one Guild member had fought them and fallen, so his plan was to avoid combat with them as much as possible. He sensed that his enemies were staying in one place, so he would take advantage of their inaction while he could. Taking out blueprints of the city, he began dividing it into a grid pattern with a marker he had picked up from the ruins of a stationary store. Snapping his fingers, a Dark Heart appeared before him and bowed.

"Take this marker and map and cross off each grid that the Heart of the world is not in."
The Dark Heart did so and then disappeared in a portal of darkness. Looking out over the ruins of the city, Xack wondered where the Heart could possibly be. Records of the past showed that they could be in the strangest of places, frustrating any quick and easy attempt to find them.
"I guess I'll do some looking of my own."
Xack then disappeared into his own dark portal, headed for an unknown part of Metroville.

---

Jason turned to Mr. Incredible.
"I really need to find the Heart of the this world. If the forces of darkness find it, your world will be completely destroyed."
Mr. Incredible looked shocked at the implications for a moment, but the shook it off. Being a professional hero, he was used to high-stakes scenarios like that.
"Well...What is it supposed to look like?"

"It looks like a keyhole, but the problem is that it could be anywhere. Is there anywhere that you would consider the heart of the city?"
Mr. Incredible thought a moment and then his face lit up.
"We could go to the center of downtown. That might be where it is."
"Alright, let's get going," Jason said as he stood up.

---

Jessica couldn't help but be concerned for Rayn when she saw the other ship come up and start opening fire on the Heartless ship. Odie reassured her while Thomas scanned the horizon for their leader. As the other ship came into port, they were initially elated to see that Rayn was okay. That elation turned to shock as they saw that Rayn had been placed under arrest by these soldiers. Confused and upset, Jessica was going to go to him until she saw the hand signal he gave, wanting them to keep away.
"We'll get arrested, too, if we interfere now," Thomas said.

They remained within earshot long enough to hear the man who had arrested Rayn identify himself as Commodore Thomas Northcott. He was going to be imprisoned at a place called 'the Fort', so the quick-thinking Jessica formed a plan.
"Let's tail them from a distance. If we can find out what cell Rayn is in, we can communicate with him and form a plan."
Odie and Thomas were on-board, so they carefully followed Commodore Northcott and his men. Since they were all young, they could look perfectly innocent and non-threatening, which would help them avoid suspicion.

[True_Grave]

Jason, Aria, Ava, and Shien led the charge to downtown Metroville, with Mister Incredible and Mocking Bird taking up the rear. After defeating the Heartless in their way, they met in the center of the city.
"Our best bet is to split into small groups and search the area," said Mister Incredible.
Jason didn't like the idea of splitting up, but conceded that it was the best method of searching an area this size. Jason paired up with Ava, Shien took Aria, and Mister Incredible joined forces with Mocking Bird. They would search within a set radius, then meet up if their search turned up nothing to probe elsewhere.

Jason was exploring a building when the floor started to crack and crumble. Pulling Ava back to safety, he summoned Oblivion and took a stance. From the floor rose a large metal robot with two legs. Within the open cockpit was a man in black with orange hair slicked straight up.
"At last, it is complete!" he shouted triumphantly.
"Who are you?" Jason demanded.

The man looked down, only seeming to notice them then.
"I am Syndrome, the man who will rule this world! Get out of my way!"
Purple lasers began shooting at them. Jason pulled Ava to cover before jumping at the machine. His Oblivion went for Syndrome but smacked into a force field.

"That won't work!"
The force field pushed Jason back and Syndrome's vehicle began running forward. Using the lasers, it cut through the Heartless in its way. Jason wanted to go after him, but the Keyhole had to come first. Reuniting with Ava, they continued their search. They couldn't waste time since their enemies were also searching for it.

---

Jessica, Odie, and Thomas reached a window leading to Rayn's cell.
"Rayn, are you there?" Jessica called.
His face appeared at the window and he held a finger to his lips.
"Not so loud. There's a patrol in the hallway."
"We can get you out of here," Thomas said.

"Wait a minute," Rayn said.
If he wanted to break out of here, he would have done so already.
"Commodore Northcott said something about the pirate he was after looking just like me. I have to know if that was true."
"Why?" Jessica asked.
"It's important to me," he responded after a few moments, not wanting to really get into it.

Back when he was Xeynar, he had worked closely with Hanbei, the number two of the Guild. If the pirate really did look just like him, Hanbei had to be involved. If he was, Rayn would devise a plan to take care of it.
"What should we do," Thomas asked.
"Wait for me in town. I'll join you as soon as I can."

Thomas and Odie left and headed for town.
"Are you sure you'll be okay, Rayn?"
"I'll be fine."
She reached her hand through the bar and he took it for a moment, not used to such affection but trying. After she left, he approached the cell door as the patrol passed by.
"I want to talk to the Commodore about the pirate's identity."

[True_Grave]

The search ended up being fruitless. Eventually, Jason, Shien, Aria, and Ava reunited with Mister Incredible and Mocking Bird.
"Anything?" Mister Incredible asked.
"No sign of the Keyhole, but I did run into a strange guy. He called himself Syndrome."
Mister Incredible's eyes narrowed.

"He's bad news. Before the world was like this, he was my enemy. I had wondered where he was all this time."
Jason had gotten that evil vibe off of him.
"Well, we can't let him or the Guild find the Keyhole first, so let's keep looking."
They split into three groups of two to search the eastern part of downtown.

Syndrome had reached a part of downtown where Dark Hearts were swarming like ants.
"Get out of here! This is my city now!"
He began using the lasers to destroy them, chasing them as they appeared. His path led him right back downtown. He had destroyed the last Dark Heart in the area when he ran into Mister Incredible.

"You!!!"
Rage twisted his features and he began to go after him. Hearing the commotion, Jason and the others raced to the scene. With their allies under attack, Jason formulated a quick plan.
"Shien, use Thundaga! Aria, Ava, you're with me!"

Shien cast Thundaga, trying to short out the machinery in Syndrome's walking weapon. It seemed to do some damage but not a lot, and his force field protected him from the lightning. Jason jumped in the air and had the girls follow him.
"Strike all at once!"
Their Keyblades connected with the force field, but even their combined might was not enough to break through. Syndrome repulsed them, laughing triumphantly.

"You fools! You cannot stop the great Syndrome!"
Jason decided to switch tactics.
"Shien, use Blizzaga on this thing's knees!"
The young mage nodded and began doing just that. As he did, the other Keyblade wielders began hacking away at them.

The combined assault weakened the maneuverability of the robot. Mister Incredible and Mocking Bird joined in to deliver further damage with their attacks. Syndrome fired back with his lasers, forcing them to stay on the move. Eventually, the damage became too great. The knees of the robot started to throw sparks. Syndrome was in trouble and he knew it.

"Grrr! You'll pay for this!"
He began running with the robot, meaning to escape. Jason went to pursue, but a torrent of lasers forced him back. The lasers threw up dust, and by the time it cleared, Syndrome was gone. He hated that he got away, but it couldn't be helped.

Jason turned to his friends.
"Is everyone okay?"
Everyone reported no injuries.
"Should we pursue him?"
"We won't have to. When he's ready to, Syndrome will find us."

---

The patrolman marched Rayn down the hall and up the stairs. They soon reached the office of Commodore Northcott, who was sitting behind a desk and looking none too pleased to see him. The patrolman saluted and then left the room, closing the door behind him.
"I hear that you know the identity of the pirate we seek. Out with it, then."
Rayn thought quickly, shaping his answer into something that sounded believable.

"He's an old partner of mine. We used to be part of the same crew, and the crew all dressed alike while using the same weapon. I stopped being a pirate, but he didn't. I'll capture him and prove my innocence."
Commodore Northcott said nothing for a moment.
"Either you have more gall than anyone I've ever met, or you're completely innocent...I'm not sure which."

Rayn shrugged.
"Take a chance."
The Commodore was silent for a few more minutes, thinking it over.
"You have forty-eight hours to produce this 'old partner' of yours. If you cannot, you will be severely punished."
Rayn only nodded, needing no encouragement to capture Hanbei's puppet.

[Xeynar]

After being marched out of the front entrance of the Fort, the soldier gave Rayn a shove forward for good measure. Nope, they were definitely not his biggest fans around here. What the hell did that imposter do to piss them off so much? Sure, they'd said something about a stolen ship, but they already had a fleet of those. What was so important to them about one more?

"You heard the Commodore," said the soldier, who then gestured for Rayn to get moving, "Forty eight hours. Tick tock, pirate."

"Hey, hold on! What about transport? If he's got one of your ships then I need one of my own to chase him with!"

The soldier just shrugged, "Not my problem." he said dismissively. After that he disappeared back into the Fort, and Rayn was alone.

"Well that's just terrific." Rayn muttered to himself as he began the trek back toward town, "What did I just get myself into?" it was a tough conundrum, alright. 48 hours to catch the imposter and he wasn't even afforded the luxury of transportation to do it with. The Gummi Ship would be far too inconspicuous to be a viable option for this. At any rate, after some time Rayn finally found himself back in town. His group weren't hard to find, none of them really blended in particularly well in this world.

"Rayn!" Jessica was the first to speak and sprinted to him, throwing her arms around him in an embrace."

"So what'd you learn, Blondie?" asked Odie, having walked up alongside Thomas. They were all curious to know what their next move was.

"We have to find the imposter, and do it within forty eight hours." Rayn said, eliciting incredulous expressions from the team, "Oh it gets better. We're on our own as far as transport goes. They won't even give me a rowboat, much less a ship of any kind."

"Can't we just fly the Gummi Ship?" asked Thomas. Sure, it seemed like an obvious option, but he was still inexperienced at the whole 'keep a low profile' thing.

"Not an option. We need to blend in, and not advertise the fact that we're from another world." Rayn gave an exasperated sigh, "I... honestly have no clue what to do. I think I may have gotten us in over our heads with this. I don't even know where to start." he rubbed his temples. Who knew being the responsible leader would be this stressful? Was this what it was like for Jason all the time? They were all sitting around a table within a tavern. They'd kept their conversation as low volume as possible, but apparently at least one person had still managed to overhear them.

"Sounds like you need a ship, sweetie." it was the voice of a young woman sitting at another table nearby. She'd stood up and was now approaching them. She... didn't dress at all like the other women on this world. In fact she dressed more closely like the men did. And more importantly... she looked like a pirate of some description, "Oh, was this meant to be private talk?" she asked when she noticed the surprised looks everyone had, "Apologies, it's just that I have such an incredible knack for listening, you see. Well never mind that. You lot are in need of a ship, and I just so happen to be in possession of one, as it were."

"And you're just going to offer us transportation out of the goodness of your heart, right?" Odie responded with deadpan incredulousness.

"Don't be silly," the pirate said with a wink, "what I'm offering are terms for a trade. There's something here in this port that I need to... acquire, but I can't collect it all by me lonesome, savvy?" she hinted, her idea becoming rather clear now.

"You want our help getting this thing you're after, and you'll give us passage on your ship in exchange. That about the sum of it?" asked Rayn, cutting right to the chase.

"Wonderful, you catch on rather sharply there, sweetie." she said with a seemingly flirtatious wink that caught a subtle glare from Jessica, "So what say you?"

"Not a good idea, Rayn." said Jessica rather quickly, "Look at her, she's obviously a pirate. Most likely she wants us to help her steal whatever it is she's looking for."

"Oh you're breaking my heart, dear." said the pirate, "But it seems to me that you're dear Captain here has already been branded a pirate by Northcott and his men. That, I believe, is what we like to call 'being out of options', aye?" she looked to Rayn once more, even holding out her hand to shake on the deal, "Well? Do we have an accord?"

Unfortunately, she was completely correct. They really had no other options. Catching the imposter would be impossible if they had no means of transportation, and the forty eight hour time limit afforded them no luxury of being picky right now. And so he reached forth his hand and shook hers. The agreement was now official.

"Oh, wonderful!" said the pirate with a look of delight on her face, "My name's Kate, by the way. Captain Kate Sparrow, if you please."

"I'm Rayn. And this Jessica, Odie, and Thomas." Rayn responded, trying to keep the introduction as possible, "So what exactly is it that you need our help finding... Captain?"

"Why, only the most precious treasure to be found on this otherwise ordinary port." said Kate, "A compass to be exact."

"How is a compass a treasure?" asked Odie, unsure what Kate was talking about. They were all unsure, actually.

"The compass itself isn't the treasure, it's the thing it points to that matters." Kate responded, "The compass can lead me to the actual treasure I seek, and that compass just so happens to be housed right here in Port Royal... in the Governor's Mansion."

[True_Grave]

Syndrome continued to flee, glancing behind him every now and then to make sure that he was not being followed. With his mech throwing sparks at the knees, there was no way that he would make it back to his hideout. Ducking into an alley, he took shelter in a dark dead end between buildings. When his fear subsided, anger took its place.
"Those meddling brats!"
He kicked the inside of his mech but promptly had to hop on one leg while holding his sore foot.

"Do you wish to defeat them?" A disembodied voice asked from the darkness.
"Wha--? Who's there?!"
Syndrome almost fell out of his mech as he pressed against the cockpit.
"Do you wish to defeat them?" the voice asked again in the same tone.
"Who are you?!"

"My name is Xack. We share a common enemy."
"Yeah? Well, I call dibs on Mister Incredible!"
"You may have them all. But you'll need more power if you want to win."

Syndrome perked up at the mention of power.
"Can you make me strong? Like, Mister Incredible strong?"
"I can make you stronger."
His eyes gleaned with eagerness.
"Please make me stronger!"

"Okay...But it's gonna hurt."
A Dark Heart jumped out of the darkness and latched on to Syndrome. More and more piled onto him and his mech. Once a dome of dark energy had been formed, Syndrome laughed maniacally.
"YES! I feel the POWER!!!"

---

Jason was still digging around the ruins when he ran into Mister Incredible. He decided to ask a question that was on his mind.
"Why does that Syndrome guy hate you so much?"
Mister Incredible sighed sadly. He was clearly uncomfortable with the topic.
"It's largely my fault that he does."

Jason gave him a quizzical look and waited for him to continue.
"Many, many years ago, I was the greatest hero in Metroville. Everyone said it, but I was foolish to buy into it."
Jason nodded in understanding. He knew something about that.
"What happened?"

"The man we know today as Syndrome was a boy once, just like any other man. He was my biggest fan, wanted to be a hero just like me. I was so full of myself that I told him that he could never be a hero like me. I didn't know it then, but I shattered that little boy. He grew up to hate me and heroes in general. Every time I see Syndrome, it's a reminder of who I once was...and who I never want to be again."

Jason let a long silence pass before speaking again.
"Syndrome made his own choices, as well. You're not entirely to blame for who he is today."
"I know that, kid. Even so, that doesn't make it any easier to live with."
Jason let the conversation drop and continued to search the rubble for the Keyhole.