Where it Began [Open]

[Rose North]

Rose had left the school. She'd left the only home she'd really known in her 'true' life. And... She didn't feel a thing. She'd expected to regret it, to grow homesick after a day and go back with her tail between her legs like a misbehaved puppy. Yet here she was, the school only a mere memory to her.

Some people would say she'd had a tantrum when she left the school, and she had. For some reason everything just made her so angry! She couldn't explain it. Why was she blowing up over the smallest of things? Why couldn't she see the world in the same eyes as she'd used to, where there was light even in the darkest of places? Why could she only see the darkness? Finally she came to a decision. Before she'd 'died', she'd only been 15-years-old, still a child. Sure she'd seen war, she'd seen people killed, but for it had never stained her. Now... This new body was 19, nearing 20! Every bad thing that happened seemed to taint her, bury her even deeper in the darkness...

After she'd left the school, Rose had to a big decision to make. Find a telepath to locate and erase Ian's memories of her, or just go on with her plans and leave him to his own devices. She finally decided on the second. He was terrified of her now, and for good reason. He wouldn't get in her way, he wouldn't come to fight at her side, and he wouldn't be in the front line. That's all she'd wanted, him out of the fighting. If it meant him fearing her now... Well it was a price she was willing to pay. And when events passed and he learned what she'd done, he'd never come near her again. He'd go on to have a normal life. Hopefully.

The first thing Rose did, was find a way to Japan, Tokyo to be exact. She had very little money, since she didn't want anyone having to pay for her ventures, so she'd finally stowed away on a cargo ship. A plane would have been much faster, but getting through security... Even Rose couldn't do that.

The voyage was long and boring, the woman hiding with the cargo the entire trip. Every once in a while she would hear the crew talking as they roamed the lower levels, but it was only a few times a day, sometimes less. She didn't mind though. Only when they docked did she escape the ship and step onto Japanese soil. The ship hadn't docked in Tokyo, but she'd already known that. After what Cain had done to the city, they were still rebuilding the place. It would take years to have the city livable again, and decades to return to it's former glory.

In the port of Yokohama, Rose found herself an ally of sorts, a useful companion with a similar mindset to her own. The Japanese boy was her age, named Shigeru. He was one of the survivors from the Tokyo incident, and by default wanted revenge. He was also a powerful Technopath. And Rose could definitely use a technopath right now!

With her new companion in tow, the two set out for the ruins of Tokyo. Only a few parts of the city had begun reconstruction, but none of the builders went near one ruined warehouse. The warehouse was crumbling, the roof caving in from damage, but all four walls remained standing in most parts. If it weren't for the scattered Sentinel parts around and inside the place, it would have been a completely normal warehouse. The Japanese called the place cursed, and would not go near it. Even Shigeru had to be persuaded to enter the place. Instead, Rose's gaze narrowed a little. "So this is where he started it..."

Rose and Shigeru started to search through the rubble, until they found what they were looking for. Cain's equipment. They unburied what remained of the machine used to power himself up, the console that controlled and built the Sentinels, and... After even more digging, they found the database. Where all the technology he'd stolen was held. The hard drives had been erased, Cain had obviously not wanted anyone to be able to access the information, but Rose had Shigeru with her, a master of technology. It took him only a few moments to recover the lost information.

"We're going to catch him, Shigeru. And we're going to use his own technology against him..." Rose couldn't help but smirk. The hunt was about to begin. It was right then, that she heard footsteps. Someone had entered the Warehouse, putting a finger to her lips, wordlessly telling Shigeru to be quiet and get down, she cautiously began to work her way out of the rubble until she could see the intruder...

[jason]

From outside the warehouse, a figure appeared, but it wasn't as if he just walked onto the scene, he had literally appeared out of thin air. If any were to have seen him, it would've been as if he came out of a small funnel in the middle of nowhere and was now standing outside. He looked around and checked his watch.

"Good, I'm early."

He walked around the corner of the warehouse in time to see a girl entering. From the looks of her he had figured it was Rose, and with her was another mutant that he didn't notice yet. He followed them into the warehouse, doing his best to stay silent. Of course it didn't work out too well, and sure enough Rose was coming out to see who he was. He decided it was time to get things started.

"Hello, Rose. My name is Jason, but you may call me Time Traveler. I need you to get out of here, walk away from this place, and leave it behind."

He looked around as he spoke, noting that the person she had walked in with wasn't around. Where had he gone? He was sure Rose was no doubt either hiding him or having him wait to spring out and attack. He looked back at Rose then.

"I assure you I mean neither you or your friend, Shigeru no harm."

[Rose North]

The first words out of this strangers mouth weren't exactly what she was expecting. She didn't show any shock though, only narrowed her eyes to slits, fixing him with a death stare. The funny thing was, she'd never been that good at giving death stares up until she left the school. It looked like practice really did help!

"How is it you know my name?" She paused for only a half a second. "Who are you to order me about? I follow no one's command, especially some stranger's." No way was she leaving! What right did this person have to order her to do such a thing?! It had her almost infuriated!

Rose had never been one to take lightly to being commanded about. When she'd lost her memory, she'd even turned on Ian when he tried to order her! Never, in a thousand years, should you consider giving her an order, especially if you had no authority over her. Only when she was under someone would she grudgingly obey.

"That may be true, but I have only your word to believe. And seeing as I don't know, nor trust you, I see absolutely no reason to listen to anything you have to say, especially whether or not you have harmful motives." Another short pause. "We'll have to refuse your offer." No way was she putting Shigeru in a potentially harmful path! She'd been trustworthy in the past, never doubting the words of strangers, but look where that had lead her! Never again was she going to trust the words of a stranger, until they proved they could be trustworthy.

[jason]

"Because you and I have a common aquantance, though if he knew I was doing this he would have my head."

He looked around the place, taking in the destructive sight. Peices of metal littered about, different sentinel parts laying broken and battered along the floor. It soon faded though as he looked back to Rose.

"I can't tell you exactly why I'm here, only that what you're about to do will cause something far worse then you could imagine."

He sighed when she stated her dependence. She wouldn't listen to him or follow his advice. He wasn't ordering her around, but he knew that what she was doing was dangerous. He had tos top her, even if it meant doing the one thing that could drain his energy more than he wanted to today. He knew he could take Rose with little trouble, but taking her friend would be risky.

"I'm not ordering you around, Rose, and I'm not asking you to trust me. Please understand that in doing what I'm doing now I may have very well disrupted the balance of your timeline already, but it must be done in order to save this planet as well as countless lives.

[Rose North]

"..... A common Acquaintance? And who would that be? You don't honestly expect me to know who you mean just off of that small of a hint?"

Rose really wasn't in the mood for this. He was stopping her from her work. Until he left, she and her companion couldn't finish what they'd began. Though they were already more then halfway done. Even if they couldn't finish, they wouldn't be leaving empty handed.

She still felt like he was ordering her around, and it thoroughly pissed her off. Just like every other time when she started to get angry, her form started to darken a little from the little about of Dark Matter building. "Far worse? You don't even know what I'm doing! I'm not some idiot! I know what I'm doing! Why don't you just get out of my business and go bother someone else?"

If she knew he thought he'd be able to handle her so easily, she probably would have struck him down there and then. In no way would overpowering Rose be easy. If you did manage to succeed though, you'd still be killed before long. After all, you would only be able to restrain her for so long...

Rose scoffed, running her fingers through her dark hair. A small, slightly dark smirk touched her lips as she fixed him with a dark look. "Oh, well thank you so much for ruining my time line. Why don't you run along before you ruin it even more?" She rolled her eyes then. "Hasn't anyone ever told you not to meddle in other's affairs? And if your so set on this whole 'time line' thing, just let it go it's normal course. Otherwise you'll only ruin it even more."

[jason]

"You and I both know him. His name is Ian. Ian Snyder."

He didn't budge as he felt the place darkening around him. When she told him that he didn't even know what she was doing, he had to smile at this. He knew more then she did about what she was doing.

"I know you're trying to find the technology used by Cain and use it against him. Though I know you'll find it, by using it you will only cause more destruction. Besides, Cain isn't your enemy, at least not for long."

He had to admit, the longer he spent trying to change a time-line, the more worse it was getting, which is why he had to act fast. He knew that by waisting time here, things were getting worse in the future.

"I'm not here to try and stop you from doing what you feel you must do, only to warn you that if you think by killing Cain you will win this war, you're wrong. The only thing you will do is make way for the real threat, the one that's hiding in the shadows behind Cain, and not even knowing she's doing it."

[Rose North]

...That was the first time she'd heard Ian's name sine she left the school. She'd expected those old feelings to come bubbling up, the left over emotions from her previous life. Instead... She felt absolutely nothing. No heart ache, no joy, nothing. It was as if the name meant nothing to her anymore. It was then she realized, her motives were changing... She wasn't fighting for him anymore...

"You act as if that's important somehow. I don't see why he has anything to do with this conversation." Her tone was angry, as if furious that Ian knew someone as annoying as this. Though... Near everyone was considered annoying in her mind at the moment.

Hearing him announce her plan, so certain that he was right did not help her mood. The floor cracked even more beneath her, from her power. "Oh? And in what way will that only make things worse?!" Rose tried to take a deep breath, to calm her raging nerves, finally smirking. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but we aren't looking for it. We already found it. So why don't you go try and stop someone else from doing something before hand?"

She scowled again. "Of course he's not going to be a threat for long. I don't plan on letting him live much longer!"

"If your not here to stop me, then go away. I don't plan on listening to the ramblings of a madman." She paused for a moment, scowling still. "Do you take me for an idiot? I know it doesn't end with him! You think I'd just stop after he's dead? If you know so much, then how the hell did you come to think I wouldn't do anything about the Nightshades?" He spoke of another threat though, making it sound like a woman. Of course it was a woman! Cain had Shadow and Sky on his side!

[jason]

"Because in the future, he's leading the resistance against her."

He sighed when she started to become angry. Ian said that it would be no use trying to talk to her, but he had to give it a try. If he let her focus on Cain, then things would be lost. When she smirked at him, he didn't smile or anything, he just stood there watching her.

"The only way I can prove to you what I mean, isn't by telling you. I could show you, but we would have to find a safe place for me to rest so I can bring you back afterwards." he shook his head when she again talked of killing Cain, "He is a threat, but he's about to unleash something far worse then him, and far worse then the Nightmares."

He hoped that would get her attention. He wanted to tell her who it was, but he knew that in doing so would already affect the time line more then he was wanting to. No doubt it would only make things worse for Rose, and possibly cost her her own life.

"I must insist that you use this technology to defend yourselves and those close to you instead of using it to attack Cain. Trust me when I say it may very well stop an apocalypse."

[Rose North]

Rose frowned. Ian? Leading a resistance? What the hell? "What a surprise. Knowing him, I'd be shocked if he even lived another year." It was only partially true. His personality, and lack of ability to defend himself was bound to get him killed sooner or later. It didn't mean she wanted him to die though! Even if... Those heartwarming feelings she used to have for him were gone, it didn't mean he wasn't important to her. It just meant she didn't love him anymore.

Rose didn't want to listen anymore. She turned on her heels, heading back to where Shigeru was hidden, but stopped when she was halfway there. Her eyes went wide. Cain had... found something that dwarfed even him?! How was that even possible?! She slowly looked back at the man, forcing her eyes to narrow to slits. "What do you mean..? What has he found?!"

Cain was powerful and evil because of his stolen technology! And yet... For him to find something worse... That was impossible! If something that powerful, and evil existed, how come no one knew about it?! How could they have stayed hidden for so long? And how could Cain have found someone like that?

[jason]

"Yes, his stubbornness has put him in danger many times before, and it will again."

He had known Ian long enough to know what Rose said was true. Ian had put himself in harms way many times, even if trouble found him instead. He always seemed to come out on top, and he always told Jason he had Merfonde's training to help him. When Rose turned and looked to him, he knew then he had her attention.

"Not what, who, and it was never lost, only hidden. Cain's mistake is he unleashed it, though unknowingly."

When she demanded to what he found, he knew she had gotten him in the one rule he couldn't break. He could never give names of things that affected the future, only details. He could, however, let someone from that time tell her instead, but that would be a risk to himself and the time stream. It was worth the risk, he figured, knowing what lied ahead.

"I can't tell you the name of it, but I can take you to someone who can, but for that you will have to trust me." he extended a hand to her, "Let me take you...ten years into the future."

[Rose North]

"....."

Something had been hidden? What did he mean? And how could Cain not know what he'd unleashed? What was going on?! It was a person though, that much was sure. That could explain why it'd been 'hidden'. People could hide their true nature. Rose was a perfect example of that. At the X-mansion, in her former body, she'd lied to everyone. Always hiding her real self away from sight. No one had ever expected that that was the fake Rose, and this was the real...

His hand was held out to her now, waiting for her to decide what to do. She had to admit she was curious. She wanted to know what was going on, right here and now. But.. She couldn't trust a complete stranger. That didn't mean she couldn't use his services though... "I don't trust you. But I won't do anything against you." That was the closest she could get to 'trusting' him. Promising not to hurt him as long as he didn't hurt her. Cautiously she reached out to place her own hand into his own. She was still wary of him, why wouldn't she be?

[jason]

"That will do. I must insist that you listen to what I have to tell you, and do exactly as I say no matter what. Where we're going, only I've been to."

When her hand closed over his, his in turn closed over hers. He concentrated his powers, and Rose would begin to feel a tugging sensation in her midsection. As he had appeared, the two seemed to disappeared as if being pulled into a funnel and out of the other end. When they appeared out of the other side, he let go of her hand, and stumbled to a nearby spot. He sat down to rest, knowing that they would be detected soon.

"Look outside, and don't worry about your powers. You won't need to use them here."

If she were to look outside, she would see nothing but destruction. The sky was black and completely clouded over, buildings were destroyed, some completely and others only half. The scene looked like something out of a movie, like a mix of Independence Day and Matrix. Nothing but death and destruction could be seen for miles around. He waited for her response, knowing that she probably wouldn't believe it.

[Rose North]

Rose tried to hide her surprise and shock as she felt as if she was being pulled into something. Unlike Jason, she didn’t stumble when they ‘landed’, her feet planted firmly on the ground. She watched him as he sat down, that same suspicious look in her eyes. Finally though, she scowled, and ‘somewhat’ obeyed his ‘not really’ command. Carefully she moved to a place where she could see outside, her eyes scanning the horizon.

It wasn’t what she expected.

No matter where she looked she saw the same thing. Black skies and pure chaos. She didn’t recognize the ‘city’ this was. Or… What it used to be. “What is this place..?” Where exactly had he brought her? What had happened? What did this? There were too many unanswered questions. Could this be the handiwork of what this ‘real threat’, he’d talked about? What kind of person could do this? Who had the power to do something like this?

… Okay, so she did know a name or two of people who were capable, but none that were actually alive. To have this kind of power and remain hidden for so long.. It was almost terrifying. “How could someone have the power to do this and no one know…?

[ian]

"You're in Japan, twenty years in the future." a familiar voice said behind her, "Welcome to hell."

The voice was definitely his, though unlike before it lacked any emotion. As he came out a nearby doorway, he could be seen. What he looked like now was different compared to what he use to. Partially because he was older and partially because he was now half human. The other half, his right side from the arm down to his foot, was machine. A small, metallic plate reached from the back of the right side around to the front, where in place of an eye was a black disk with a small red glowing dot.

"I told you not to do this, Traveler, you and I both know how dangerous it is now."

He walked further into the light, his hair a mess on his left side, his skin dirtier and older looking, showing scars of both age and battle. He wore a black jacket over a black shirt, torn jeans showing both metal and flesh through the knees. He looked to Jason, not really hearing the second question Rose spoke.

"I'm sorry, Blur, but she may be the only way to stop this."

"Stop this?" he said, a small half smile forming, "Right. Good luck with that."

[Rose North]

Slowly Rose looked over her shoulders to this new, and somewhat creepy intruder. The man was old, probably nearing 40. But... He was a cyborg, only half a man, the other half mechanical. She'd never seen anything like it in her life. Sure, she'd heard rumors of technopaths being capable of making mechanical limbs, but she'd never actually seen it, and to this extent...

Something about him was familiar. His 'partial' face, his voice. But for some reason she couldn't pinpoint why. Why was he so familiar?! It could be someone she knew in her own time... But who? He'd said this was 20 years into the future. So who could this be? And why did they look like that...?

And now... She wasn't being half ignored. Well that was just great. "Yeah, both of you remember I'm right here, right?" Rose sounded angry, annoyed by them ignoring her. Jason had brought her here after all! If she weren't forced to rely on him to take her back, she would have left right when they started this. Sadly... She dare not go off on her own, if only because she didn't know how different this time was from her own.