Page 21:
Ryadian: Ditto Hunter and Galacia were going on a walk together, but were separated when Galacia went looking for the Puppy Dragon. Ditto Hunter heard Puppy Dragon roaring and discovered something was wrong, only to discover both the dragon and his wife had been kidnapped by several men, and a woman informed him that if he didn't listen to her, they'd kill Galacia.
stardf29: Nerrha has a talk with neighbor and friend Ariyami Wazaki, and thinks she might have been too attached to Isaac, so she decides to step back a bit while still being there for him. Isaac decides that he can trust Nerrha and goes back after a talk with Rana.
JillPole: As it turns out, Aria is only suffering from burns now---and those are healing. She tells them what happened: she came into the room and she found Verena crying...and with a bomb strapped to her back. Aria cut the bomb off, dashed out to find someone to take care of Verena (and stumbled upon Ekko), then went back to try to diffuse it. However, she failed, and ended up taking the brunt of the blast (though thankfully, she was wearing a thick raincoat and it protected quite a bit of her body). After her explanation, the group disperses on various errands, and Eruheran and Oceana go together in order to talk.
starkat: Katherine spends some time alone to try to cope emotionally. Suddenly, a figure she recognizes comes, first bringing some words of comfort, then of instruction. The figure tells her that (s)he's a time traveller, and that Katherine needs to find "the lock". After this, Katherine gets into her armor.
starkat: What happened from the others point of view
Cymru: With his task complete, Erik spends his last night on Port Carcinoma chatting with his new friend, Captain D. A delay in his departure time leads to an invitation.
shastastwin: Chase muddles over the thought that Dahg is really alive, and Greya's thoughts stew as he ponders the pictures of prophecy and his dreams form the night before.
shastastwin: Dawn dreams in my tribute to the old Ditto Story-style, particaularly The Murder Mystery. Thanks to Rya and the writers of that story for inspiration.
sweeetlilgurlie: Kyre meets up with Roj, Axe and Erica and shows signs of being able to understand Val. They continue to Roj' father's grain mill.
shastastwin: Ditto Hunter faces off with the Headmistress, and gets shot by the Weapon for his troubles.
shastastwin: Chase, Torla, and Hugh wait for the intruder from three nights ago, and someone gets hurt.
leuthilalda: Bob and Will send the horse back for help, and try to help Champion talk to Lucid.
shastastwin: Christie and the Salesman watch Chase's struggle, and her brother's affirmation is completed.
shastastwin: Carl's identity is revealed to Chase. Chase finds his father's amulet. Carl tells his story, which Chase does not believe, and pledges to serve Chase, the Twilit One.
Masked Rider: Ditto-Bot runs into terrified animals running away from something, some of them with blue spots like the bunny's. He then finds some kind of machine, and decides to send Mini-Bot to investigate.
TheLostCharn: Assassin thinks about his future fame, has a strange dream, sets off on his mission, and has some startling experiences on the way.
Page 22:
Masked Rider: Mini-Bot scopes the place out while Ditto-Bot has the Ditto Mechanic take care of the rabbit. Ditto-Bot comes back with a lot of supplies and meets up with Mini-Bot, who has discovered who the people are working for.
JillPole: Aria relaxes for a while, then decides she needs to spend some time with God.
Cymru: Erik meets more members of Captain D's crew
leuthilalda: Toby goes to help Bob with Champion, and notices that their day is about to get a whole lot busier.
TheLostCharn: The quintet face a diifcult decision, as well as a little humor. shastastwin: Chase contemplates Carl, and remembers the story his mother used to tell him.
shastastwin: Christie thinks about her brother. Chase is brought to the Salesman's lab. All is briefly explained.
stargazer: Loren and Eliana make a visit to the Emporium the same night Erik is with J. Abby shows them the stardome, and both mothers-to-be find some things in common – and some not.
shastastwin: Number 9 hears about Chase visiting the Salesman. The Marksman leaves through the Mist.
Cymru: Erik discovers the mysteries of the Phaeton and Captain D
Cymru: Erik wakes up
Cymru: The gargoyle makes an escape
Cymru: The pirates dispose of their ruined spoils. Yes, we realize this is redundant.
starkat: An older Olivia pulls Katherine out of her teleportation to tell her some things. Apparently, the other visitor was Verena, but since Olivia sent Verena, something had changed in the timeline. She tells Katherine that if she goes back to the Mansion, everything they know will be destroyed---there's an ambush waiting for her, and it's "too late".
starkat: Olivia tells her that she's there to direct Katherine to the right location. Katherine is confused, as Olivia is acting out-of-character and interfering with the time line far more than she should, but Olivia assures her there's a bigger picture...and if she doesn't change it, she'll be the only one who survives. All the same, when they meet mind-to-mind, it seems very alien. Katherine sends a message to Gwanuig, then goes with Olivia.
TheLostCharn: When Mum meets the girls - and Val!
Page 23:
starkat: Gwanuig receives Katherine's message, but the bond they have isn't strong and he only receives a picture...and realizes she's going on ahead. He passes the message along, and everyone but Ekko, Collhyn, Verena, and Aria heads out the door. However, despite insistence from others earlier that night (due to her unstable genetic code), Aria insists on coming with.
starkat: Olivia pulls them out of the jump again, and now Katherine doesn't trust her, feeling that the "I can't tell you about the future" excuse is growing old and there's a lot Olivia isn't telling her. Finally, Olivia lets Katherine look through her memories, but Katherine notices something Olivia probably didn't want her to see...and breaks the connection.
lysander: Grace learns that she has friends in high (or low) places.
Aiony: The Hunter is berated by Number 7's minion. He then informs said minion that he's set up a trap, and he's confident he'll have the key keeper soon.
shastastwin: Chase is attempting to use the Mist when, suddenly, an image of a younger woman being lead by an older woman (Katherine by Olivia) flashes through his mind. He teleports there, Talarais in hand, just as Katherine falls to her knees. Meanwhile, the Marksman appears in the Salesman's lab, apparently after Chase. He threatens Christie, claiming that killing her would ruin the Salesman's plans of "reforming the Group" in order to stop the Nine, in order to find out what happened to Chase. However, the Salesman promptly informs him that he could use her DNA to do it. The Marksman leaves soon after, insisting that their business isn't over.
starkat: The Gibsons and Ryder attempt and escape, but it fails. Their captor tells Lianna he'll "allow them to be rescued" after Katherine is captured, unless they continue to try to escape. Lianna finds that now they're chained, and Ryder seems in worse condition than before.
lysander: Rose has an odd dream and meets a mysterious stranger named Liam.
starkat: Adrian hears the news about Aria's injury and goes to see Oceana. He arrives while everyone is arguing about whether or not Aria should come with, and after he's given a summary of the situation, he sides with Aria, re-energizing the argument.
shastastwin: Chase meets Katherine and Olivia. He tries to explain the Mist and asks why they are out in the wild.
stargazer: Thundershadow visits the Emporium to tell Abby about recent events, and the two come to the Mansion to join those going after Katherine
leuthilalda: Somewhere in an undisclosed location, a programmer is working to reconstruct the Mirbots. (See ditto story 5).
starkat: The argument continues to a successful conclusion and the group gets underway
starkat: Chase offers his services to Katherine and the older Olivia in their attempt to rescue the others
starkat: The rescue begins
stargazer: The group from the Mansion arrives on the scene shastastwin: Chase helps the cousins to escape to the clearing, using the twilight of Talarais. On the way he encounters the Marksman, and learns that the villain is tracking him, for some unknown reason
Page 24:
starkat: The battle has resumed and Ryder gets angry again
starkat: Katherine and the Hunter battle it out.
starkat: Calanon's warning is revealed. Ryder's life is saved, but there's a catch.
starkat: Katherine seems to die moments after reviving Ryder. Gwanuig takes it especially hard, as he had fully intended to ask her to marry him even without his father's consent. However, they're all surprised when she suddenly awakens, and while they're unsure how, Katherine tells them they have to look for the lock. For a moment, Chase feels the Mist trying to pull him away, but he resists it.
stardf29: During Hannah's dinner with Isaac, he catches her switching off with Amelia. Amelia reveals that she and Hannah were prisoners of one of the organizations connected to the Nine, and had escaped and were running away.
Ryadian: Evelyn has a training session with Mr. Kevin Davis, her Empathy teacher. During the session, she accidentally looks into his emotions, and finds out that Mr. Davis is, for some reason, unhappy and somehow concerned about something. She tries to subtly ask him about it, but he deflects her question without answering. She doesn't try again, though she still is confused...and now, curious.
Aravanna: While Lucid is waiting for Toby, Bob translates that Champion wants him to report back to "her". However, Lucid has no idea who "her" is. Soon after, he finds a farmer with a cart and asks him if he can use it, and the farmer agrees. Soon after, Toby arrives, and they bring Champion to the Rescue Center for better care. Rose offers Lucid dinner in the hobbit hole, so he stays.
Masked Rider: Ditto-Bot and Mini-Bot decide to enter the compound. They break in through a back door and sneak around in the air vents. They overhear two men discussing the construction; one mentions that they're making a satellite dish, and he says it'll be ready in 3 weeks. Right after this, they notice what appears to be a security alarm going off, and two security men going past....
leuthilalda: Vanessa and the girls get the girl into the Rescue center, and Greya comes in.
BERNINBUSH: Tara supervises the Patrol and a "special project" by Gimli.
starkat: The reason behind sealing the lock is explained
leuthilalda: There is a discussion about the patients; Xander starts speaking strangely about each person.
starkat: Ryder and Aria watch the sun rise
Aravanna: An old man named Mort comes into town looking for a man named Thames. Apparently, Thames and Mort used to frequent the same inn, the Wayfarer, quite often...and inn located near the School Chase used to attend. Thames was well-known for his unusual steed and his assortment of jobs. Around the time Thames started showing up, rumors of a strange creature in the nearby forest were all-but confirmed by a young man who was killed by said creature. Not long after, Thames left and vanished. Although some believed he had been killed by the creature, one day, a reward was offered for Thames's return...and it was said he was headed towards Ditto Town, hence Mort's prescence.
stargazer: Erik and Abby enjoy some time together under the stars, then as dawn approaches, they head for a cave where they can sleep for the day...but not before telling the others.
shastastwin: We ponder the literary aliases. Lucid, Toby, and company arrive. Greya explains about Gorgons and their blood. Questions are asked.
Page 25:
shastastwin: Chase goes patrolling near the camp to clear his mind and gets ambushed by the Marksman, Aro, Losf, the Headmistress, and Carl. THey have the army of Shadow Warriors with them.
leuthilalda: Rose goes to take care of the twins, Vanessa talks to the girl they brought in, Greya wonders about Losf and about Lucid, who acts strangely and is not sure why.
JillPole: Aria enjoys the sunrise.
Conquistador: I'm afraid I decided to cancel my story. The problem is twofold: First, I am on the last leg of my high school, and second, I decided that I would write it as a book instead of giving it away here. Sorry!
starkat: Katherine and Gwanuig teleport (more accurately, Katherine teleports them ;)) to a hidden cave where she finds a machine. Thundershadow appears and, having been instructed by Kathleen Grayson in how to use it, tells Katherine to use the keys in the slots in the machine so she can reach the "instructions" on the other side. They (minus Thundershadow) go in, then come back out, and Katherine doesn't seem well (emotionally) and refuses to talk about it. Katherine and Gwanuig teleport back to find the came ransacked.
shastastwin: Chase awakens to find he was asleep and in the Mist. The camp is attacked and Chase and Ryder are surrounded with no hope of escape.
stargazer: Erik and Abby arrive and rescue Chase and Ryder from their opponents. The group decides to move on, as it's too dangerous to stay at their current location.
starkat: Katherine falls asleep without realizing it, and Gwanuig wakes her up later to tell her he's found a trail to where the others have gone. As they head in that direction, Katherine feels the weight of her burden, and for a moment tries to get Gwanuig to stop putting himself in danger for her...but he informs her he's going to stay with her, no matter what.
JillPole: Aria talks to the cousins, and Olivia thanks her for saving Verena. During this conversation, Aria receives a telepathic message that Katherine wants to talk to her---but she doesn't want the cousins to know. Aria discreetly dismisses herself from the conversation and heads towards Katherine.
Ryadian: Vanessa goes back in to see Mariana, and to tell her that she is willing to rent her a room at the Inn Between until she gets better. After thanking her, and making surprisingly accurate statements about Vanessa's feelings and state of mind that she could not possibly otherwise know, she realizes that Vanessa wants to know more about why she was in the woods...and why she thought Vanessa was Evelyn. First, however, she tells Vanessa that she is an Empath.
JillPole: Katherine tells Aria she's going to have to leave, though she's too distraught to share details. Aria comforts her, then encourages her to turn to God with her needs. The two share a moment of prayer together, then Katherine tells Aria her immediate plans.
Masked Rider: Ditto-Bot and Mini-Bot decide to explore for some more evidence. They find several containers with a weird blue substance in it. They take a sample back for analysis.
Ryadian: Vanessa and Mariana continue their conversation. Mariana tells her that Vanessa's "Empathic fingerprint" feels like, somehow, Evelyn's is "mixed in" with it. Evelyn is Mariana's younger sister, who was kidnapped over a month ago by a woman who used the false identity of Natalie Caron. Mariana was devastated and began looking for Evelyn...but due to a "disease" which Empaths can contract when they become too attatched to an emotion, she lost her sight. She askes Vanessa to help her find her sister...which Vanessa agrees to.
starkat: Ryder and the Gibsons discuss the situation, and they eventually decide to support Katherine...but in the end, they knew it was her fight, and they knew they had to let her do what she needed to do.
Aiony: The Nine, having heard of the Hunter's failure, decide to go their themselves, with their own armies, to capture the lock---and kill the Key Keeper. After they disperse, a lone figure remains the room, muttering "All hail the Nine", and noting that his masters would not be pleased.
starkat: Pt 1
