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HunterKieran
08-04-2003, 10:16 PM
At the request of Hikosaka, I am putting everything into one thread so people don't have to hunt for this stuff.

Dialogue related to Kieran is in normal text.
Dialogue related to Demon-Kieran is in italics.

CHAPTER ONE

Somewhere in the forests of planet Ragol
Kieran's Level: 26 (first offline game)
Demon-Kieran's Level: None

"No wonder that one guy in the Principal's Office was against the immigration," Grand Master Kieran said to himself as he slices apart three Boomas who were walking towards him with a hostile intent. Ever since he was dispatched to the surface by Principal Tyrell, Kieran had noticed the intense hostility of the native animals of Ragol, and from the messages left by the Principal's daughter and fellow hunter, Red Ring Rico, he wasn't the only one.

Badly wounded from the Boomas' constant attacking, and forgetting to use his healing fluids - which he had spent a good deal of money on - Kieran stepped forward to attack another Booma. Swinging his twin-bladed saber around in a series of graceful movements, Kieran slices the beast apart, and realized - too late - that something much larger was behind him. He swung around to attack a rampaging Hildebear, but the creature was too strong and Kieran, weakened from his entire ordeal, fell to the forest floor....

A fireball came out of a nearby bush and struck the Hildebear down in one swift stroke. Stepping out of the bush, a human Force pulled a small syringe out of his black robes and sticks it into Kieran's lifeless arm, taking a blood sample - and with it, a DNA sample of the near-dead Grand Master. Including his psychic potential. With this sample, they could recreate Kieran, and send him out into the world to kill his original...and then there would be only perfection.

Onboard Pioneer 2
Kieran's Level: 26
Demon-Kieran's Level: 1

Kieran came to in Pioneer 2's Health Center. "Are you alright?" said the medtech. "I might be..." Kieran looked at his arm. "Why do I have a teeny hole in my arm...?"

"I may be able to answer that," came a very familiar voice.

Stepping into the medical center was a tall, imposing white-robed figure. His robes were red-trimmed and he wore a pointy-looking hat.

But it was his face that gave him away...the face that Grand Master Kieran stared into was his own. And that face was sneering. His entire form seemed to eminate with pure evil, as did his hands, which sparked with dark energy. "I am the reason you have a small hole in your arm. I was created to be more...perfect, to use the psychic potential you possess to achieve greatness. And I have been ordered to terminate my original copy...YOU. But I will bide my time, as I am too weak to oppose you directly...I will be waiting for you...somewhere high in the mountains..." And with that, the white-robed figure disappeared.

For the first time in his life, Kieran knew fear.



CHAPTER TWO

Somewhere in the mountains of Gal Da Val
Two weeks later
Kieran's Level: 31
Demon-Kieran's Level: 11

"Learning takes time, my friend," said the dark-robed Force, walking alongside Demon-Kieran. "He still outdoes you in many ways, and there is no way you can beat him, not now."

"I'm aching with the feeling that I am not getting this done, Master," the white-robed Force replied. "I have been given a mission I must complete, but his power grows each day, and unless I am able to strike quickly, he will remain more powerful than I."

"Patience, Demon-Kieran. Your time will come." The Master turned to face a man running up the hill. "Master, he is coming!"

"HIDE!" the Master shouted. Demon-Kieran started to run along with the Master, but the Master was quite old, and burdened with his age...

Somewhere nearby

Grand Master Kieran stepped off the teleporter from the Central Control Area, twin saber in hand. He spotted an elderly black-robed Force...the same one, he dimly remembered, as the one who took the sample of his blood....enraged, Kieran began screaming challenges at him.

The old man looked at Kieran with some annoyance as he raised his staff. "I killed men before you were born, pup."

"We shall see," Kieran said coldly, and swung his weapon over his head in a full circle before swinging it down. The Master raised his staff to deflect the blade, then swiped at Kieran's legs, tripping him. Kieran snarled in rage and kicked the old man in the knee, causing him to slump over. Kieran stood and swung again, slicing the Master's staff in two. The Master raced his hands to try to evade Kieran's wrath, but the Grand Master's eyes were unforgiving as he struck the old man down....

Kieran crouched to inspect footprints....footprints that were near-equal to his own. This clone must have headed back towards the teleporter, he thought. Standing, Kieran began to run.

Demon-Kieran watched from the bushes as his original ran by. Once he could no longer hear Kieran's footsteps, he stepped out of the bushes and started to run towards the fallen Master. He knelt beside his teacher. "My boy..." the Master's weak voice said. "I am fallen...teach yourself to become a Force...destroy Kieran...complete your mission." The Master smiled, laughed a little bit. "Pity I can't join you in the hunt..." And with that, the old man was gone.

Demon-Kieran brought himself to his knees, shaking in absolute fury. He knew Kieran would have to pay...

The Central Control Area

Kieran ran up the ramp into the Central Control Area, deflecting blows from the altered beasts there as best he could. A storm had been hitting this area for several days, making things difficult to see.

"HALT, GRAND MASTER," came a mechanical sounding voice...a mechanical replica of his own voice..."Come out where I can see you!" the Grand Master shouted.

A huge, black armored figure stepped out of the fog. "ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF. I AM YOU....SEVERAL YEARS FROM NOW. I WAS CRIPPLED BY THE BEING KNOWN AS DEMON-KIERAN. I HAVE COME FROM THE PAST TO HELP YOU AVOID MY FATE...TO INVALIDATE MY EXISTENCE."



CHAPTER THREE

The Principal's Office - Pioneer 2
Kieran's Level: 38
Demon-Kieran's Level: 17
Joshmaul's Level: 1 (this is the Master, BTW)


"WHAT? A clone?" The Principal was speechless.

"That's insane," said Lil Washu (author's note: My stepfather's character! He has also joined PSOW.....God help us. -Kieran). "Chief Natasha could not have allowed that."

"Principal Tyrell, this was not done on Pioneer 2 at all. But there may have been some conspirators from here," Kieran said tiredly. "This 'Master' character for example...however, there may be an explanation for this. From what I have gleaned from the message log I found on the body of the Master, there is some sort of secret laboratory on the ocean floor off the island of Gal Da Val, powered by one of the AIs from Pioneer 1. Demon-Kieran may be an experiment from survivors of Pioneer 1."

"IT IS POSSIBLE THAT DEMON-KIERAN IS ONE OF DR. OSTO'S EXPERIMENTS, DONE AT THE REQUEST OF THIS 'BROTHERHOOD OF THE DEMON'," said the android-Kieran, dubbed "Kieran Mark Two". "PIONEER 2 DOES NOT HAVE A CLONING LAB. BUT, I BELIEVE THAT IN ADDITION TO THE WORK WITH THE D-CELLULAR LIFEFORMS, THE PIONEER 1 TEAM MAY HAVE A CLONING LAB OF SOME SORT."

Lil Washu understood. "Which would mean that the Brotherhood has plans to kill Kieran and replace him with one of their own!"

"PRECISELY. THERE CAN BE NO OTHER EXPLANATION FOR THIS."

"I am forced to agree," the Grand Master said. "Principal, Mark Two and I will return to Gal Da Val to hunt for Demon-Kieran."

Tyrell shook his head. "He may go, Grand Master Kieran, but I still need you to investigate those ruins."

"Principal Tyrell, Demon-Kieran is on the loose, so I must become the predator in this case, not the prey."

"PERHAPS THE PRINCIPAL IS RIGHT, GRAND MASTER," said Kieran Mark Two. "DEMON-KIERAN, DESPITE HIS GROWING POWER, IS STILL TOO WEAK TO HUNT YOU INTO THE RUINS. THE D-CELL CREATURES WOULD TEAR HIM APART WITH EASE. FROM WHAT I HEARD, HE BARELY SURVIVED THE MACHINES OF THE MINES."

Kieran sighed. "Very well. I shall return to the ruins."


The Ruins - Ragol
Kieran's Level: 39
Demon-Kieran's Level: 20

Kieran stepped out of the ruins and stared at a huge obelisk. He saw a figure standing in front of the obelisk. Could it be Rico? He focused a bit...and snarled.

The Demon.

Demon-Kieran smiled as his white robes flew in the early morning breeze. "Welcome, 'brother'. I was beginning to thing you would not arrive."

"Like I am supposed to make appearances for you, you sadistic bastard."

"That hurts. Sadly, you will not live to see my victory over you....." Speaking words of power, Demon-Kieran opened a portal, quite different from the telepipe to town. "I will wait for you...at the Seabed labs." With a smile and a laugh that emitted pure evil, Demon-Kieran stepped into the portal, which closed behind him...

Kieran looked up....and up.....and up.

He was staring at the ultimate D-cellular lifeform...

DARK FALZ.

Bringing his double-blade weapon to bear, he gulped slowly..."Let's see if I can do this."

Roaring in rage, he charged into the creature....


CHAPTER FOUR

Gal Da Val Seabed Laboratory
Kieran's Level: 40
Demon-Kieran's Level: 20
Joshmaul's Level: 5

Demon-Kieran walked into a small examination room in the Seabed labs, his now-red robes flowing behind him. He theorized that the only way to take down a Hunter is to send another on his trail...

Joshmaul - the clone of the fallen Master - tinkered around in the open chest of a HUcast. Its armor was blood red, the color of its master's attire, and its face resembled the samurai warriors of a time long past. As Joshmaul heard his pupil-turned-teacher enter, he turned to face him. "Welcome, my friend."

"Is he finished yet?"

"Just one more little thing..." Joshmaul picks up a small part and places it into the chest, then places the chestplate onto the new warrior. "It is done."

Demon-Kieran nodded as he raised his staff. Intoning more spells, he started to glow with a dark aura as he touched the head of the staff onto the chest of the android Hunter. The dark aura shifted from the red-robed Force to the red-armored android on the table..."I give you a piece of my being to give you life. Go forth, and hunt Kieran..."

The Ruins

Kieran leaned on his sword, exhausted. The dark monster lay on the ground in front of him, apparently dead...but something burst out of it in a flash of white light, and Kieran realized he was standing on a platform of energy.

Weakened and bloody by the battle with this creature, Kieran sent a series of fireballs into Falz's new form...then suddenly, he felt his soul ripped out of his body by the power of this dark thing. Calling upon his remaining power, Kieran leaped at Falz with a scream of rage, and plunged one blade deep into the monster's head. Falz fell dead to the floor.

But out of nowhere, a saber went right through Kieran's armor and out his chest. Standing behind him was the HUcast created by Demon-Kieran...the Grand Master realized too late that he had left himself open as he fell to the ground...

The Principal's Office

"I am worried about Grand Master Kieran," said Principal Tyrell. "Has no one heard from him?"

"I HAVE," came the mechanical voice of Kieran Mark Two. "HE IS DEAD. I FOUND HIM OUTSIDE THE RUINS...ALONG WITH THIS." He hands Tyrell a red ring.....the ring that had belonged to his daughter Rico. The Principal looked like he was ready to cry...

"She must have gone against Dark Falz too, and wasn't as lucky," said Lil Washu.

"And what of the Grand Master?" asked one of the scientists.

"The evidence shows that he was run through by some kind of photon blade weapon," Washu replied. "It must be one of the Demon's agents."

"Correct, my dear," came a voice. Looking towards the teleporter from the main city, the group spotted Demon-Kieran, flanked by his new android Hunter. "This is the Demon's Will....an assassin specifically created for destroying your friend Kieran. He has done so...and nothing you do will save him." Laughing maniacally, Demon-Kieran opened his portal again, and he and his minion stepped in...

The Ruins

Joshmaul stood over the broken form of Grand Master Kieran. "Gods and goddesses, what have I done? What have I created?" Looking down at Kieran's body, he suddenly realizes that his one-time pupil is a being of pure evil, using his Force powers to inflict pain and destruction...and he had taught him everything. Now, he must end the chaos...somehow.


CHAPTER FIVE

Gal Da Val Mountains
Kieran's Level: 44 (in new form!)
Demon-Kieran's Level: 21
Joshmaul's Level: 6
The Demon's Will Level: 6

Demon-Kieran stood on the mountainside facing out towards the sea, suspended in midair in meditation. Great disturbances in the balance of his power were stirring on the main continent of Ragol, but, despite his quickly-growing power, he could not identify it...a white Hunter bearing a sword of immense power......a sword created from the DNA of a lifeform rotting at the bottom of the Test Subject Disposal Site back at the Seabed lab.


For the first time in his life, Demon-Kieran knew fear.

Gal Da Val Jungle Area

"They say there's a white Hunter somewhere on this island, a man with immense power," said Lil Washu with some uncertainty.

"MERE MYTHS AND RUMORS," said Kieran Mark Two. "THERE IS NO POSSIBLE WAY A 'SUPERBEING' COULD EXIST."

"Explain Dark Falz, then."

"FALZ IS DEAD. LEAVE IT AT THAT."

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a burst of white light erupted on top of a small hill...a figure with a voice with the calculating evil of Demon-Kieran spoke. "I see you have been busy in my absence," the voice said.

"SHOW YOURSELF, WHITE ONE," said the android Ranger.

"So I shall," the voice replied. The light subsided...to reveal the smiling face of Grand Master Kieran himself.

"It can't be," breathed Washu.

Joshmaul, standing behind the Grand Master, stepped forward. "Oh, but it can," he said, raising his staff with a smile. "I still had some of the old powers in me after all. He is Grand Master no more...his Order is an empire of its own...and he is the man to rule it."

As Joshmaul spoke, Demon-Kieran materialized before him. He meant to address Joshmaul...but he was staring at the white armored figure before him. "NO! You're dead. Broken. I saw you myself! THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE!" he screamed.

"But it is," said Kieran, as he calmly raised his sword. The Dark Flow....taken from the DNA of an incredibly powerful creature.

One who waited for him at the bottom of the labs.

Screaming in fury, Demon-Kieran charged at his original, his staff swinging. At first, Kieran was hurt very badly in the fighting, and only his iron will kept him from dying again. Near death, Kieran called upon the power of his sword as his companions stood back. A burst of dark energy emitted from the blade, enveloping the Demon in its power and sending the evil Force flying until he impacted with a nearby tree. Not dead, but he would probably be left as such.

"Curse you! CURSE YOU!!! I will hunt you down for ETERNITY!" Demon-Kieran vowed. "I WILL DESTROY YOU FOREVER!"

Kieran stood over the broken body of his enemy and placed the tip of his sword deep into his chest..."This is for the cheap shot," he said slowly as he pulled the sword out, leaving the defeated and broken Demon on the jungle floor, almost as badly as Kieran himself had been left...

Hikosaka
08-04-2003, 11:10 PM
Thanks, Hunter. Now it's easier to follow the fic. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

HunterKieran
08-06-2003, 10:48 AM
CHAPTER SIX

The Ruins of Ragol
Kieran's Level: 47
Demon-Kieran's Level: 24
Joshmaul's Level: 8
The Demon's Will Level: 10

Investigating mysterious findings - well, MORE mysterious findings, anyway - in the ruined spacecraft, Emperor Kieran held his dark-DNA sword at the ready, searching for the source of this inexplicable power eminating from this area...

Out of nowhere came a burst of light, blinding the Emperor and causing him to fall on his back, paralyzed by immense power...Kieran looked up in horror to see his red-robed double, smiling evilly as he held the Club of Laconium level at Kieran's head. "You really are too inquisitive," said Demon-Kieran with a smile. "This will get the better of your curiosity....." Placing the Club on the ground next to the paralyzed Emperor, Demon-Kieran started to rip the power cells from Kieran's white armor....the power cells that gave him the strength to wield the insanely powerful Dark Flow. "NO!!!" Kieran screamed.

Finally, Demon-Kieran grabbed the Mag the Emperor carried and the sword he wielded....and handed them to a red-armored HUcast behind him. The Demon's Will! This insane assassin now possessed Kieran's power! "Now you will live like me," said Demon-Kieran, grabbing the Club of Laconium, "depending on your mind-powers alone to keep you alive." He raised the Club for the killing blow...

Without warning, the Club of Laconium flew out of Demon-Kieran's hand....and into the hand of Joshmaul, standing with Kieran's wife Celest. Both Forces wore the white robes of the Ordo Reydovan, with the medallions of their section IDs. Joshmaul raised the Club of Laconium and his staff high into the air, calling upon the power of his mag to send a blast of pure energy into the Demon and his minion. A D-cellular dolphin-like creature flew at the two red figures, sending Demon-Kieran flying with a high-pitched scream into a wall.....and the Demon's Will fell sideways into the vast abyss!

Kieran roared in rage and frustration as he jumped, falling after the Demon's Will...faintly hearing the voice of his wife warning him not to do it...

Falling through the Ruins...

The Demon's Will looked up and saw Kieran falling at him, his hands sparking with energy as he sent lightning bolts at the android Hunter. Already weakened, the Demon's Will unleashed the sword's power, sending a burst of dark energy into the Emperor.

Kieran gulped. "Oops..."

The power of the blast sent the white-armored Emperor flying back up....not all the way to the top, but very near. The Demon's Will looked up again to see another white figure - this time, the robed figure of Master Joshmaul - coming at him holding the Club of Laconium. Calling upon the Club's power, the Master sent a fireball at the Demon's Will, knocking the android farther into the pits. Kieran and Joshmaul looked at one another and realized this might be the last straw as a huge pool of water awaited them at the end of their high-speed fall...

Then all was blackness.

On the surface

Demon-Kieran was lying on his back, badly injured by the blast. He would live, but he was again left broken and defeated.

"Not necessarily defeated," he corrected himself with a smile. Kieran was weakened. Kieran was broken, too. The Emperor would soon learn the true power of the Demon...but Demon-Kieran looked confused as he was lifted into the air. "What the hell...?"

Holding the Demon high was Empress Celest. "You want to kill my husband....you go with him!" she told him, as she walked towards the pit...

"NOOOO!!!!" Demon-Kieran screamed as tried to move out of the Empress' grip, but he was too weak...yelling in triumph, Celest released the Demon and he fell into the same abyss...

"YOU DID WELL, EMPRESS," said Kieran Mark Two, who walked up behind her....


The bottom of the abyss

Emperor Kieran came to in a pool of water. Laying next to him, snapped in half like a twig as a result of the impact, was the Demon's Will. Kieran ripped the power cells off of the damaged android's armor and took his Mag from it, then grabbed his sword from the HUcast's paralyzed hand. "WHY...CA...CAN'T I KILL....YOU?" the mechanical voice strained to say.

"Because you're weak and pathetic, like your master," the Emperor said. "And this is what happens when you fuck with me." Placing an armored boot on the android's neck, he stepped down hard, severing the android's head. He then raised his sword over his head and swung down, smashing it into pieces.

Lying on the ground not far away was Joshmaul, looking battered but otherwise alright, in spite of everything. "I think I've broken quite a few bones," he said with some difficulty. "These robes don't provide much protection..."

"You'll live?"

"I'll live. I'll just need to float around in the photon chair for a while," he said. Then he looked up. "Listen."

Kieran heard it too - his own voice. Screaming. Raising his sword above his head, he waited for the Demon.....


Demon-Kieran's mental sense saw what was coming....Kieran was there. Holding his sword up high, tip up.

Directly under him! "NO, NOT LIKE THIS!" he screamed...

There was a loud squelch, and then silence.

Shortly afterwards

Six red-robed acolytes of the Brotherhood of the Demon materialized in the vast abyss, as well as Empress Celest, Kieran Mark Two and three Ordo Reydovan priests...and all of them were appalled.

Demon-Kieran lay on his back, the blade of the Dark Flow having gone through his chest. Emperor Kieran stood over him, and Master Joshmaul was propped up on a rock, badly injured....

The Demon breathed slowly as he looked up at Kieran. "You wait," he said weakly. "I will return and....I will finally.....destroy you."

"Not if I can help it," Kieran said as he pulled the Dark Flow of of Demon-Kieran's chest, causing the Demon to scream slightly.

Then Demon-Kieran smiled, his teeth coated in his own blood. "You know how.....we of the Brotherhood.....are, Kieran. We.....never forget a....grudge...." The six acolytes surrounded their master, opening a portal back to the Seabed laboratory. "We will be back for you, Emperor," all six of them shouted at once as Demon-Kieran, his broken toy and his minions all disappeared.

Kieran nodded in satisfaction. The Demon would think twice before attacking him again.

HunterKieran
08-19-2003, 01:00 AM
CHAPTER SEVEN

The Lab - Pioneer 2
Kieran's Level: 49
Demon-Kieran's Level: 24

Emperor Kieran was admiring the advanced technology inside the Lab when a white-coat technician approached him. "Excuse me, Hunter. Can I help you?" he inquired.

"Perhaps you can. I am searching for the Chief. Is she around?"

"She is at her terminal, right behind you," said the tech, pointing. The Emperor thanked him and strode up to Chief Natasha's desk. "Welcome, Emperor Kieran. It seems your nemesis, Demon-Kieran, has barred himself inside the Central Control Area in Gal Da Val. Unfortunately, he is not making things easy for you. He has activated the lockdown, and you need to deactivate the security system in each of the three sectors from the Central Control Area in order to reach it. But the Central Control Area is crawling with altered beasts. It seems that Demon-Kieran has assisted in some of Dr. Osto's research experiments."

"That's insane," Kieran exclaimed. "From what I've seen, Osto's experiments went out of control and, eventually, eliminted the lab techs...his lab in the mines was empty, except for the military bots from Pioneer 1."

"Apparently, the Seabed labs also have variants of the Sinow series of robotic warriors," Chief Natasha replied. "These two variants have some sort of stealth devices on them that make them invisible to the eye, though some have reported that their reflections can be seen on transparent floors and walls."

Kieran was aghast. "Any signs of altered beasts or D-cellular lifeforms?"

"Several, including, as some have described it, 'the Delsaber's canine cousins'. These things are quite large, I'm told, just like the 'Chaos Bringers' in the ruined spacecraft."

"And the areas around the CCA?"

"Nothing you don't already know about - altered beasts and riled-up natives. Like the basic natives and altered beasts you've run into before, these have three types, each one stronger and larger."

Kieran nodded glumly...

The Seabed Laboratory

Demon-Kieran sat in front of a monitor, surveying the power systems in the Seabed labs. Apparently, there was some sort of breach in the lower levels which caused massive flooding....and there was something inside the Test Subject Disposal Area that could only be one of Dr. Osto's experiments. Reading through the doctor's logs, Demon-Kieran found that one of Osto's "guinea pigs" was merged with the Olga AI brought from Pioneer 1, and this created a monster of immense power. Demon-Kieran lifted his staff, said to have been created from the DNA of this creature, and pondered...

HunterKieran
08-21-2003, 12:04 AM
CHAPTER EIGHT


The Principal's Office
Kieran's Level: 53
Demon-Kieran's Level: 25

Emperor Kieran, joined by Celest, Joshmaul, Lil Washu, Kieran Mark Two and Chief Natasha, strode towards Principal Tyrell's desk. "Principal, Demon-Kieran has taken possession of the Seabed laboratories and locked down the system," the Emperor said. "I think the Demon is trying to take possession of the lab's test subjects...."

"If Dr. Osto couldn't control them, how can he?" Tyrell protested.

"DEMON-KIERAN IS NOT SOME WEAK-MINDED SCIENTIST, PRINCIPAL TYRELL," said Kieran Mark Two. "HE IS A POWERFUL FORCE, AND COMBINED WITH HIS POWER, THESE CREATURES WILL BECOME AN UNSTOPPABLE ARMY."

"I am forced to agree," said Chief Natasha. "If he can assemble these creatures into some sort of legion, he could assault Pioneer 2 itself."

"Recommendations?"

"Shut down all teleporter beams to Ragol," Washu said quickly. "They won't be able to come up here without the teleporter."

"Excuse me, Principal," said the secretary, "but there is a transmission addressed to the.....general public of Pioneer 2." She looked up. "It's from the Seabed laboratory."

"Let's hear it."

"Attention, citizens of Pioneer 2. This is Demon-Kieran, Lord of Ragol."

"Full of himself, isn't he," Celest commented softly.

"As you are no doubt aware, I am in a struggle with the criminal 'Emperor' Kieran, a man you continue to harbor. For your crimes against my new order, everyone on Pioneer 2 is under arrest.

Out of nowhere, two regiments of red HUcasts materialized out of nowhere. Kieran looked in horror as he recognized the leader. The Demon's Will!

"If you work well to build a new city on Ragol, right here by the sea, then you will be treated well. Work badly.....and you will die. Seabed Lab, out."

"TAKE THEM AWAY!" the Demon's Will shouted....

Kieran clapped his hands together and opened a portal for he and his party to escape through. Principal Tyrell, his assistants, and Kieran and his entourage disappeared....

....just as Demon-Kieran appeared behind the Principal's desk. Now in regal blue robes, the Demon looked nearly thirty years older than he did... "Well? Where is he?"

"HE JUST ESCAPED, M'LORD," the Demon's Will reported. "SOME SORT OF PORTAL."

"I want Kieran, not excuses! GET HIM HERE AT ONCE!!!" the Demon screamed. The Will bowed and, along with his men, stepped onto the portal back to the main square.

Then Demon-Kieran clutched his stomach and groaned loudly as a red-robed Force stepped out of the shadows to help him. "Your condition is accelerating. You have no more time for games..."


Somewhere on Ragol...

"Where are we?" Principal Tyrell asked.

Kieran spoke up. "We're beneath the Central Dome. The Demon's troops wouldn't know to look here. We'll be safe for the time being."

"Kieran, what's going on?!" shouted Washu.

"When Demon-Kieran was cloned, he contracted some sort of genetic disorder that only clones seem to get. He's being weakened by rapid aging. All of his genetic functions are highly accelerated....and if it continues, he may die. If I can fool him into thinking that it's effecting me as well, perhaps I can manage to avoid being reduced to nothing."

Tyrell got the picture. "Which would give you time to kill him."

"That may not be easy," Chief Natasha said quickly. "Demon-Kieran now controls Pioneer 2. He could activate all of the ship's security systems, which could keep us from ever getting back on the ship."

"IT IS WORTH THE ATTEMPT," said Mark Two. "IF WE CAN END THIS BEFORE IT BEGINS, PERHAPS WE HAVE A CHANCE."

"Celest, find all of the Hunters, Rangers and Forces down on the planet and bring them here," Kieran said in his "command" voice. "It takes an army to defeat an army."

Thus, the war for Pioneer 2 - and for the people on it - had begun.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: HunterKieran on 2003-08-20 22:06 ]</font>