I KNEW IT WAS CODYYYYYYYYYY! *triumphant fist punch*
Ahem. Anyway. Awesome chapter, Plode, as always. I've got to tell you guys, the writing you guys do is really good. All the details, the way it goes along smoothly, never a dull moment... I'm starting to sound like my English teacher. But really! I'm paying even more attention to my work now because of you guys. So, thanks. :)

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Ah, that's nice to hear =D I'm glad we're helping.

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I busted out the Photoshop again one more time to do some fanart before I had to go for a month.

It was either Cody or this, and I knew Cody would take twice the time, and I barely finished it as it was, so...DX I REALLY wanted to do Cody, plus I had a good idea for the picture....*sniff*

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..I don't think I have ever seen Mike Meekins so...so...*awesome* in my entire life. Very much win. =D

Btw, Plode, just so you know, you've influenced who I'm gonna cosplay next year...

Hello thar everyone. =D Finally getting around to answering these replies. The plode has a bad habit of keeping quiet. Shyness is a bad habit to get into.

Jes: I love the art now as much as I did when you showed me on MSN, so...keep it up! :3

Silver 9: Thanks for the short and sweet comment. XD And yay Glen Elg cosplay! X3;; I can't believe we've influenced so many people...

Kino: ...Like you, too, kino. XD I did A-level English Language (ie final 2 years of high school...not sure what the US equivalent would be) so I know what it's like; here's hoping you do well. :3

Hai: I'm not forgetting you of course. D: I'll miss you while you're away. <3 Please come back in one piece so you can make more awesome arts. Anyone else think Hai's latest works would make good desktop backgrounds? XD *is changing hers as soon as she gets back to college and her personal PC*

Thanks for all the comments. I'm taking it's been worth the wait...I'll ty my hardest to get the next one out a little speedier. A Plode's work is never done. ^^;;

Ninja edit: How about that new sig, eh? :3 Thanks for the picture, jes! And thanks to everyone else who tried; any art at all is much appreciated. <3

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XD your signature amuses me beyond comprehension, plode.

<3 Comments. ^^

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A brilliant chapter. Good thing I decided to check in on these timed computers, huh?

<3 the new art as well. Even if I strongly dislike Cody.

Woo~! Nick gets to be less useless more pwnsome now!

Put the new chapter up on dA so I can fave it, dammit!

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*drags out of hiding*

Mello, who are you on da? o_O ANd i will...eventually...

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Phew! I was worried this might have been deleted in the downtime. Glad it's not.

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Nope, we are still alive and kicking. Next chapter is started and on its way. And really good so far. >D

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I commented on the DA, but jeeze, this story makes me smile
I kinda wanna do some fan art...Hmm >>
Keep up the good work and I can't wait to catch the next installment

Ah, yay, new fansors! =D Hello there and thank you!

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I'm Marshmell0 (with a zero) on dA, but I don't have anything in my gallery. I just have about 3 years' worth of favourites .

Can't wait for the next chapter

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I just plowed through what's written of this story, and I'm tempted to do it again... I was more or less hooked from the beginning. It's a neat story and it's well written to boot. I'm looking forward to reading more!

Also, this fanfic makes me want to find Static Shock and watch it again. |3 Ah, childhood memories...

Haha! Glad you liked it and we hope you stick around for more!

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I need to post on here more! DX Gah. I guess I'm just embarrassed. I need to do some edits to the most recent chapter, I'm really not happy with that ending. *sighs* We'll see, though, ne?

And welcome to the new faces in here. X3 I liked Static Shock too back when it was on. I'm not directly ripping it off, s'just a good name, and purple happens to be my favorite colour. I'm going to bed now, hopefully Kallisti won't drop off the front page for so long next time. D: *needs to post more*

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Whoo! Nice to know the forums are back and all this didn't get deleted.

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Yeah, I think we're not the only ones holding our breath every time CR goes down. D:

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SO..... New chapters???

I must read... *ninjas broken edges away*

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=D Here's hoping next chapter will be coming kind of soon.

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I LOVED Static Shock... Yay, new chapter!
Whoo! Over 12,000! If we keep getting more people here every time we go down, maybe it's not so bad... ^^

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Wow, you guys have added a lot since the last time I was on here. It's still as awesome as when I first came across it, so amazing job guys. Can't wait for the next chapter.

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Okay...I know it's been a while. But I swear, the next chapter is coming. I've just been so weighed down with work and family problems... -_-; Ugh. I'm sure those of you who've graduated (or are about to graduate) college can understand.

'Bout time PK got back on the front page...everyone's probably forgotten about it by now.

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How could we forget about you guys? I still stalk the page even if it's inactive...but then that's me. XD

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Woo~ I can't wait!

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AAAACK!

I TOTALLY forgot about this. ;_;

I LOVE IT! And that drawing of Meekins?

EPIC WIN.

The Kallisti Project – Samurai Arc – Chapter 6

Park Exposé, on another beautiful day. People wandered its shady avenues, walking their dogs, playing with their children. It was only at night that the illusion was stripped away; a mere change in the light, and the place was haunted by the city's criminal underworld. Vagrants, thieves...and once, a murderer.

But dressed up in flowers and sunshine, gloom and doom were the last thoughts on anyone's minds. Even the Big Bang, and all the terrors that came with it, seemed far away.

A man with a briefcase was taking a short cut to work, glancing at his watch nervously...until he slowed down and stopped. Something, he was sure of it, just retreated back into the treetop above him. It couldn't have been a squirrel; squirrels weren't green, unless the Bang had done something to the local population...

Remembering the freaks and monsters on the news, he quickened his pace, not looking back. That, and there was a much more real threat standing under the tree. Three pairs of eyes watched him

The lush summer foliage must be disguising it now...he was sure that whatever-it was had been green. He'd seen that monster on the news, the one at the convention centre...you couldn't be too careful these days...

But the man quickened his pace, not looking back. There was a much more real threat glaring at him than the possibility some monster just might be hiding in the tree. He could feel the eyes hidden by the three hoodies, the wearers' hands shoved deep in their pockets, following him until he was way of of sight.

"Is he gone?" a male voice enquired, taking his hand out of his pocket and twiddling the dial of his EarPod.

"Yeah." a female voice answered. She pulled down her hood to reveal a lightly freckled face, long strawberry blonde hair, and a worried expression. She directed it towards the tree canopy directly above her. "Dylan..."

"I know..." another voice sighed back. Jaime had that look again, with her hands on her hips and her lips all pouty, though if he pointed it out it'd just mean a longer lecture. He rested his cheek against the rough bark of the tree branch, cushioning the rest of his head with his arm. "I fell asleep again. It's...just hard not to..."

"Hard!?" the figure who'd been silently tapping his foot until now, angrily pulled off his hood. Underneath was a brown, permanent case of bed-head, which he habitually flicked out of his eyes. "How do you think it is for us, trying to keep this a secret if you keep blowing your own cover??"

"Ricky. Put a sock in it." the third voice said, taller but scrawnier than the others, somehow hearing their friend's rage over the song blasting through the tiny earphones. Lee – half-korean, blue-black bangs roughly gelled to one side, and a taste for loud music – turned to face his companion.

"I'm sure you wouldn't like it if you woke up and you couldn't pass for human." He paused. As if his words were somehow a finite resource, Lee only spoke when something needed to be said. "And it could happen. To any of us, on any day."

Dylan watched his friends bicker among themselves, then lay back and tried to shut out the world. With the nondescript hoodie that made him just another teenager removed, the sun felt good on his green skin and white hair.

He'd gotten used to that; it wasn't like there was a choice. His whole life had been destroyed and rebuilt, just because he'd been holding that half-dead bunch of flowers when the chemicals hit. He'd waited and waited to give them to that girl he liked, and ended up waiting too long. The next thing he knew, he woke up in a hospital bed, the flowers mysteriously revived and that same girl spreading the actually-true rumor that Dylan the dropout was a mutated freak.

But he supposed things could have been worse. Though loudmouthed Ricky kept accidentally updating him on the latest mutant freak rumors – always followed by a swift elbow to the ribs from Jaime – nobody knew the truth apart from the three below him. The three friends who'd cared enough to find out the truth.

And like his parents, they'd accepted the new him, chlorophyll and all. It wasn't like he was dangerous or anything.

Dylan frowned as something tickled his ear, and he opened his eyes to see a small vine flowering as it crept past him. He was almost the opposite of dangerous; he couldn't walk across bare dirt without long-buried seeds sprouting in his footsteps. The tree he was resting on seemed greener since he'd picked it to get his daily dose of sunlight.

Even though he had to hide his face...and there was the extra water he had to drink, the home schooling, the sunlamps at home...it was strangely satisfying, how things burst into life around him. Life was tenacious, and so was hope.

It was only then he realised his friends had gone quiet; even Ricky was silent. Hoods back up, they were focusing on a shuffling figure some distance away in a mix of fear and suspicion. Slightly torn clothes, a limp...probably a hobo, right?

FOOM.

"Jesus Christ!"

Where the expletive came from he wasn't sure – maybe even from him. He just remembered to hide his green-skinned face as he hit the ground running, the branch falling behind him with a THUMP and a cloud of grey sawdust. The trunk cracked and split where the energy hit it, holding for barely a few seconds until it, too, collapsed into a pile of dead wood.

He couldn't feel sorry for the tree. It was a tree, not to mention there was no time. If that touch of death could fell something that big in moments...he didn't wait to think about what it might do to him. Instead Dylan thought about running, about putting as much distance between the plant-killer and the plant-boy as possible.

Where his sneakers touched the grass, the crushed blades straightened and grew just a little longer...good thing there was no-one left to notice.

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"Let's see...'Blue Screams Inc'...city's most wanted mutants seen fleeing the scene...with a possible child hostage-!?" Phoenix threw the newspaper to the floor in disgust. Of all the newspapers, once again the city's #1 tabloid had the best photograph of 'the Blue Menace', courtesy of Lotta Hart.

Though he tried, he could help but sigh, dropping the gossip rag in disgust and resting his forehead on his palm. How did she keep getting to these places? She must have been hanging upside-down out of a 15th-story window to get a shot like that...if he didn't know Lotta all too well, he'd have thought maybe she was hiding some super-ability of her own.

"Cheer up Nick." Maya grinned, bringing in some coffee. "At least they got yo-uh, his good side, right?"

"...Hey yeah, you're right! Cute, and brilliant powers of observation....if that's your power, you could knock the Mysterious Mystic M off my number one super-lady spot..."

Phoenix uncovered an eye. Yes, that was right. He wouldn't even be thinking about what the tabloids were saying, if not for a certain best friend of his, who was currently fluttering his eyelashes at a certain assistant who was certainly forcing a smile.

"...I'll go get more coffee!" Maya said cheerfully, making a hasty exit. There was only so much of Larry anyone could stand.

"Larry..." he started.

"I know, Nick!" Larry sniffed, putting an arm around the his best buddy's shoulders and squeezing hard. The lawyer held his breath – had Larry washed that costume at all since the Tonosacon incident? "You're right – how can I be hitting on cute girls at a time like this!? What would the Blue Phoenix think of his number one fan, charming the ladies while his hero's good name is at stake??"

"Don't fret, dear best friend...I can see his plight has moved you to tears-!" he continued, as Phoenix wiped his streaming eyes and coughed weakly. The answer to the question he'd asked himself before was no, he hadn't. "But the Blue Phoenix fanclub will prevail! They shall see...how his public adores him...so..."

His dramatic finger waggle interrupted as his voice cracked, Larry took a much needed drink of coffee. "...I guess the whole speech thing is a lot easier when you're a real superhero, huh Nick?"

"Oh...uh, sure Larry." he replied, quickly hiding the map he'd been looking at under some legal-looking documents.

He uncovered it as soon as his uninvited guest turned his back. The city was huge...you could hide anywhere in a city this big, unless you were a bloodthirsty dinosaur. The combined efforts of Edgeworth, Ema, and Detective Gumshoe had narrowed Engarde's possible hideout to just a few locations, highlighted on the map. Simple enough, unless someone was helping to hide him.

Who would possibly help a sociopath and convicted murderer? But even with his 'good' side gone, he'd still been able to manipulate Cody into thinking he was the Nickel Samurai under a curse. Maybe an obsessive fan who'd always believed their favorite actor was innocent...?

"...Or maybe Justice Lad. What do you think, Nick?"

"...What?" the lawyer looked up, to meet a pair of brown eyes staring at him expectantly, like a dog waiting to be fed. "Uh..." he started. He'd been lost in thought all that time; he'd have to try and bluff his way out. "I think..."

"Nah, you're right. Needs to be less generic. I mean, if the Blue Phoenix is looking for a sidekick, we'd have to match, work together, keep a perfect balance like the mustard and ketchup on a Samurai Dog..."

"Sidekick..?" phantom feathers ruffled as he suppressed a shudder. "...Wait...why would the Blue Phoenix need a sidekick?" he chuckled. "To wax the Phoenixmobile?"

"Nick, dude." His smile vanished under Larry's smirk. He was looking at the desk...where he'd forgotten to cover up that map! "You know you can't keep a secret from the Butz. The Butz knows all, sees all..."

His mind hurried to come up with an explanation, something to throw him off track or even explain why he didn't tell him his secret sooner. Larry wasn't the best best friend a guy could have, but they'd known each other since grade school...he should trust him too a keep a secret. And yet, if a sharp-eyed villain connected a spiky-haired lawyer to a spiky-haired superhero...

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice you've been keeping tabs on the Blue Phoenix?" Larry grinned, tapping the side of his nose knowlingly, while his tongue hung out rather stupidly. "Knowing the Blue Phoenix had a car...even I didn't know that...and that map of all the locations he's been seen...so this is what you do all day instead of working!"

[And this coming from a guy who can't hold down a job for more than a week?] the lawyer thought, somewhat relieved. His best friend didn't think he was a superhero, but was being labelled a stalker really that much better?

Phoenix ran his fingers through his spikes with a nervous smile. "Yeah...things have been quiet lately, so...I figured if the police got ahold of him, he'd need a pretty good lawyer…that is, ah, he's done so much for the city, and-" a sudden sound in his ear made him jump. A steady, insistent beeping, coming from an indetectable earpiece...

"Nick, you okay man? You look like you've got a bug in your ear..."

"It's nothing." Pretending to stretch, his hand brushed the jacket hanging on the back of his swivel chair, giving the badge on his lapel the quick press it needed. Maya had already picked up, and was discussing the details with Ema. "...Park Exposé..." he muttered thoughtfully, momentarily forgetting who was standing right there.

"Park whatnow? Is that where you think the Blue Phoenix is gonna appear next!?" Larry said excitedly, eyes glittering. But his face fell as he got no response; the lawyer instead getting out of his seat hurriedly. "Dude, you feeling okay? You're acting kind of weird, even for you."

"Sorry, I just remembered, I have-" Phoenix pulled on his jacket, moving like someone lit a fire under him. "-I have to meet a special client, we agreed to meet near the park, so I really have to fly-go! I mean go." He picked up his coffee cup and downed the rest of it. "Me and Maya, both of us need to go, right now."

"Nick-!" his friend started pleadingly, then frowned as his kicked-puppy-dog look went ignored. Frowning, he decided to turn it up to the next level.

"Nick, my baby just left me! Some more juicy info on the Blue Phoenix would really help to ease the pain-!" But his words fell on deaf ears, and his dramatic chest-clutching was unseen. A quick 'let's go', and the two were out of the room, slamming the door behind them.

For once, Larry Butz was speechless. His cuteness and charm managed to get a giggle out of even the most uninterested girls, but now his best friend was completely ignoring him! The thought of losing his touch crossed his mind. "NO!" He clenched his fists. "Get it together, Larry! You've still got it!"

He scratched his chin. He'd been tempted to shave off his goatee to play the part better, but the ladies really dug the face fuzz. "It's just Nick who's acting weird. And he seems to know something about the Blue Phoenix...he kind of left in a hurry, too..." Realization slowly dawned.

He flung open the office door, which was still unlocked, and sped down the stairs. If he was going to be the Blue Phoenix's sidekick, he'd have to get used to this...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It's about time you got here!" was what greeted the Blue Phoenix as he and his assistant touched down. They couldn't even see their opponent, but Broken Edge had stopped scowling at their tardiness to motion for everyone to fall back.

The pair could understand why…they’d seen the growing chaos from above. Random patches of scorched earth, very dead trees, and civilians scattering like ants from a magnifying glass.

[Are we fighting mutants or space aliens?] With the number of heroes present, it certainly looked like they were fighting off some kind of invasion. The seldom-seen Mask*DeMasque and Road Rash were both here, standing their ground against the dust clouds before them. The Steel Samurai was poised and ready to fight, and-

"Matty!" Maya shouted, scrapping her battle stance to wave with one of her spirit hands. Almost dropping the uprooted tree he was carrying, the Nickel Samurai lifted his mask with a finger and waved back sheepishly.

Seeing Matty stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the steel-skinned Will, Phoenix couldn’t help but notice his outfit seemed…different. Shinier. Was Ema making full metal Samurai Suits behind his back now?

His feathers bristled; suddenly, he was airborne, and the colourful flower bed just in front of him exploded into sepia dust.

"I said fall back!" their ninja commander made another sweeping motion.

"Get back!" Nobody was in a hurry to disobey – Ron held onto his hat as Desirée and her 180 horsepower of exosuit dragged him away. The ground shook as Matty dropped his tree, turned tail and ran, Will following close behind.

With Maya in tow, Phoenix followed them…even with the training regime the older Samurai provided, knowing when to run was still of utmost importance.

Broken Edge's hand went to his sword. Sweat beaded on his forehead…he had that look in his eyes, when he was focusing on something normal humans couldn’t see. "Here they come again ..."

The heroes watched the billowing dust clouds ahead. Even at their distance, they could hear the sound of heavy breathing. Every ear was tuned to each of the lone figure's footsteps as they emerged.

A muffled groan as they lurched from side to side, their strange blue costume torn in places, and severed wires sticking out of others. Their face was completely obscured by some kind of helmet, cracked and smudged with dirt, their breathing steaming up the glass again and again. Was this a villain, or a victim?

Slowly, they reached out a gloved hand to lean against a bench...and almost collapsed against it. The Blue Phoenix couldn't help but step forward without hesitation. It was in his nature, now more than ever. But Edgeworth's extended arm reminded him of the harsh reality they were in, a quick tilt of his head saying 'watch and wait'.

"Heheheh..." echoed from inside the helmet. The gloved palm glowed a pale green, and there was a crack, like wood snapping. The paint on the bench flaked, and a clenched fist lifted away a portion of the backrest. It crumbled between their fingers, little pieces falling like crumbs...and the new benches in Park Expose were solid metal.

Phoenix felt a chill despite the weather. Just one touch, and the paint had faded and cracked, the metal rusted and decayed. It was like the touch of death...and it was aiming right at him!

PYOW!

He quickly threw himself to the side. The attack missed, withering the grass behind him. But his countering blue fireball flew straight and true, hitting the helmet square-on. Unable to take any more abuse, it shattered under the intense heat, blackened glass spraying the ground.

The figure staggered for a moment; as they pulled their hands away from their face, they seemed to be largely unhurt by the explosion. Edgeworth gritted his teeth. "...I should have known..." He hesitated, his eyes drawn to his sword, then back to the face he dreaded. "I just never thought I'd see...her again..."

"WHIPPERSNAPPERS!"

Though his initial thought was [Dear god, it is aliens!], Phoenix quickly realised that what they were fighting wasn't a little green man, but a little grey lady. Practically foaming at the mouth with blind rage.

Wendy Oldbag was finally getting her revenge on society.

"Don't let her looks fool you!" Broken Edge spoke up. The Steel Samurai nodded quickly, his terror evident even through his heavy mask, part of the small handful who’d suffered her wrath once before. They knew how dangerous she was without her touch-of-death powers.

"Form a circle and close in slowly." the magenta-clad ninja added through his communicator, so their enemy wouldn't hear. "This woman may be dangerous but we don't want her injured, so-" he looked up suddenly "-someone get those civilians out of here!!"

There were only two people in Nick's mind who were possibly stupid enough to run towards a supervillain attack. And both of them were approaching fast, elbowing each other out of the way and exchanging insults.

"Move yer scrawny butt, city boy! This is gonna be the scoop of the century; Blue Phoenix assists alien invasion!"

"No way! It's gonna be Blue Phoenix defeats alien invasion, with the help of his biggest fan; Justice Lad!"

"Well, y'all can just see 'bout THAT, ya yeller-bellied wannabe!"

"Corn-fed mudslinger!"

"Freak-lovin' varmint!"

Before he knew it, the task of keeping Larry Butz and Lotta Hart busy and (more importantly) safe had fallen on his shoulders. As they crowded round him, the Blue Phoenix cleared his throat, and tried the most heroic-sounding voice four years of high-school drama club could teach. "Ahem...excuse me, citizens..." he began.

A girlish squeal came from his right. Larry had that starry-eyed look, clutching an autograph book like it might fly away. "Ah! Hi there, Mr. Blue Phoenix, sir! I-I'm your biggest fan..." one hand immediately started searching his moth-eaten jacket for a pen. "...It's an honour...a-and I'm Harry Butz-I mean Larry! Larry Butz..."

All at once, the blabbering fanboy was shoved to one side. "Blue Phoenix! Lotta Hart here, journalist extraordinaire. Tell me, are you and the aliens fixin' to destroy the rest of humanity, or just enslave 'em?" He'd barely opened his mouth before she started scrabbling more notes. "Nothin' to say, huh? You some kind of anarchist, causin' destruction with no reason, ain'cha?"

The winged hero backed away slightly, but he knew he couldn’t run. If he didn’t keep them distracted, 'Terrible team terrorises tiny old lady' would be spread across the front page of Lotta’s paper. Glancing over his shoulder, he tried to see how said team was doing, but soon had second thoughts as a series of green bolts sailed past.

"Whatcha say to that then, huh?" Lotta queried, an eyebrow raised as she prodded his spandex-clad chest with the blunt end of her pencil, still ignoring the fact she was standing in a war zone. There was that that 'imminent penalty' feeling from court…he hadn't even heard the question.

"Don't let her intimidate you, Blue Phoenix! I know you're a good guy!" Larry suddenly butted in, fists clenched, the pitch of his voice rising as he rose to his silent hero's defence. "And...um..." the man twiddled his thumbs, blushing. "C-can I be your sidekick!? PLEASE? I know my friend Nick is kind of your sidekick already, but I can wax the Phoenixmobile, sweep the Phoenix Cave...!"

The hero blinked. Despite being friends for years, time and again he found the Butz was always full of mostly unwelcome surprises. What was he supposed to say? But he had to say something…

"UGH-!" was what Phoenix finally said; right before the world span and started to go dark around the edges.

Voices echoed and bled into each other. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Edgeworth shouted ‘RETREAT!’ as if everyone’s lives depended on it, as it all slipped away. The last thing he felt was the strap of his goggles snap, and the sudden flash of light that stung his eyes.

"Hoo-ee! This one's goin' on the front page...!"

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Swimming though thick air was a sensation that Phoenix was far too familiar with. Like swimming through molasses, he had to forcibly drag his mind out of unconsciousness. It would be so much easier just to submit to the feeling, but he knew he had to wake up…even if being asleep was preferable to being hit by another death ray…

…Death ray…

[NO!]

A bright light. He couldn’t move. His first thought was the hospital, all beeping machines and the smell of cleaning fluid, bringing memories of a burning bridge rushing back. But, no, nothing. No sound. Just the light in his eyes.

Something made him glance to his side. A familiar face looked back, and told him to stay calm in oddly muted tones. She had her hair down this time…and a smile that was comforting, reassuring, even though he now knew where he was.

[Misty Fey…]

His thoughts immediately went to his friends back on Earth. How were they doing without him? Would Maya try and channel his spirit? Or would he meet them up here..? He didn’t know which was worse…he didn’t know what to think, or how to feel…

“Okay, he’s up!”

The light suddenly flicked off. Phoenix suddenly realised where he was; his own apartment. “What’s going…?” he paused mid-sentence at a voice that wasn’t his own. It sounded hoarse, and his throat felt terribly dry…had he escaped certain death with just a cold, again?

But then…why was Misty still sitting in that chair to his side? But then again…that face, something about it…

“Hey, Nick!” she waved at him. “Thanks for keeping us waiting like that…Mr. Edgeworth didn’t think you’d make it, but I knew-!”

[…How long was I out!?] His face must have said it all as Maya laughed, emphasising the faint laughter lines in her face. He could have easily dismissed it as a trick of the light. Or channelling. But the slight silvery tinge in her hair, the just-noticeable changes in her physically…it was far too subtle. This wasn’t Misty’s spirit in Maya’s body, this was…Maya. Older Maya. The Fey family seemed to age gracefully, but how-?

To add to his confusion, someone walked in through the door. He was carrying a tea tray in an extremely delicate way, the way that only someone who can snap a car in half can. “…Hi Mr. Wright…”

“What…!?” The words ‘aging hippie’ came to mind as Phoenix struggled for words. Matty looked almost as skinny as when they’d found him rooting through the trash, and his grey hair – just a few strands of his original brown remained – was tied back in a ponytail.

He set the tray down sheepishly and backed away, leaving the attorney to splutter and struggle with his words. “Why…but…that…!” – he took a deep breath – “…HOW?”

“I’m sorry. There…there?” Edgeworth came in, looking uncomfortable; he had no idea what to do with the man clinging to his arm, bawling his eyes out. It was like presenting a fish with a bicycle. Only when the older Maya took Ron by the arm and sat him down did he notice Phoenix was awake; a look like he’d just seen a ghost crossed his face.

“Oh. I see you’re awake.” He said simply, sitting down. Nick felt like he was reaching the bottom of his confusion sundae…Edgeworth and Ron were still young. It seemed that somehow, they’d been spared Oldbag’s wrath, and transported to the future. But…he looked at the phantom thief, who was still wiping away tears…had everyone-?

“She got him too…” He looked up at the muttering from the chair. And, realising he was being looked at, the prosecutor cleared his throat. “I suppose you’re looking for an explanation, Wright.” Usually a master of his words, the man still seemed to struggle with what to say. “…I can assure you, Miss. Skye is working on an antidote.”

“Antidote?” the lawyer sat up, back stiff and wings aching. “What do you mean antid-” He stopped mid-sentence. He’d just caught his own reflection in the silver tea tray, and immediately wished he hadn’t…immediately, he snatched it up, ignorant of the fact that a set of cups and saucers that weren’t his were still on it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edgeworth sighed, folding his arms across his chest as the last of his Cinnamon Rooibos blend dripped onto the carpet. He watched the other man as he poked and pulled at his own grey hair and wrinkled skin, even (painfully) pulling out a silver-tinted feather, maybe to check if it was just a dream.

But, the prosecutor knew this was no dream; he realised how fortunate he and the handful of others who’d kept their youth were. In a way, they were all fortunate that (he held his tongue even inside his own head) that frightful woman had been distracted enough to hit them with just a few decades rather than hundreds of years, before making good her escape.

He wished he’d put the pieces together sooner; the rotten trees, the dried grass, the bench collapsing into rust. But it was too late now. The best any of them could hope for was for Miss Skye to find a cure. After gutting a calculator, an Earpod, and borrowing some spare parts from Mrs. DeLite, she’d already created a device that could determine the extent of the subject’s ageing.

There was a crash. A glance in the luckless lawyer’s direction, and it appeared he’d dropped the tea tray to stare at the ceiling like it was a very long, very dark tunnel. He’d have to make sure Wright didn’t see his own age reading, or the shock could give him a heart attack. Literally. Given how old he now was, it was entirely possible.

Edgeworth opened and then closed his mouth. The man just had his lifespan significantly shortened. Maybe permanently. Was there really anything he could say?

“DESSIE!”

It was Ron who broke the awkward silence, burying his tearful eyes in his wife’s bosom. Road Rash’s exosuit had completely rusted when the beam hit. And as much as he’d tried, Mask*DeMasque had no choice but to sit and watch as the Nickel Samurai lifted it off her frail form.

Although it was against the prosecutor’s moral standing - not to mention all his common sense - having a pair of thieves in his house full of expensive miscellanea…he couldn’t have turned them away. Not without seeing a demon in the mirror; something not just more than human, but something inhuman.

Back in the present, Desirée patted her husband’s springy hair. “It’s okay, Ronnie…” With her white hair and creased smile, she looked practically grandmotherly; more likely to be baking cookies than tearing up the asphalt. “We’ll find a way to fix this somehow.”

“B—b-but Dessiiiieee…” the phantom thief gave her a doe-eyed look, bottom lip still quivering slightly. “I was hoping we could…“ -sniffle- “…grow old together…”

Covering his mouth and pretending to cough, Edgeworth was starting to re-think letting the pair of jailbird lovebirds into his home. As his stomach settled, he spoke up. “Well…until Miss Skye creates something to remedy this situation, those of us who are able should go after…” Suddenly, he didn’t feel well again. “…Ms. Oldbag…”

It wasn’t just the thought of the woman regaining some sense and smothering her ‘Edgie-poo’ that tied the man’s stomach in knots. There’d been that wound on her leg, that bite mark, the moment when he knew they should retreat. He’d seen it twice before, the images clear as day in his memory. Once on the driver of that truck that span out of control. And once on Cody Hackins, when he was acting as Don Icy…

Once her bizarre experiment in breaking several physical laws had worn off, Ema had confided in him tearfully that she’d seen Engarde attack the child. He’d regained his free will only when the antivirus program was released…but what of the others? How many others could there be, how many were slaves to the monster’s will, and could they somehow help them?

And then, there was this, on top of everything. They’d lost half their team, and god knew how many civilians had been hit as well. They’d need some kind of panacea to fix all this…

“…But I can’t help but feel like I forgot something.” Maya said, knocking herself on the head, a look of concentration on her aged features. “Something important.”

“Now isn’t a good time for your memory to be failing, Maya.” Phoenix added in a distracted monotone, still staring into the invisible abyss, when suddenly something clicked. Like a spark, the life returned to his blue eyes for a moment, and he suddenly sat up. “Wasn’t Pearls supposed to have a playdate with Cody today?”

Maya blinked. “But…I stopped at our apartment to pick up some clothes, so people wouldn’t recognise that blue suit…but…Pearly wasn’t there! That Cody Hackins must have taken her somewhere…I didn’t seriously approve of-“ she stopped mid-sentence, a look of horror crossing her face. “…What am I saying!? I’m turning into an old fart like-“ she hesitated, thinking twice about saying ‘Nick’.

“…Ms. Oldbag…” she finished, lamely.

Immediately, Edgeworth stood up, raised his arm as if making a rather passioned objection, and squeezed the hidden defence attorney’s badge beneath his lapel. Clean-cut magenta and pristine white frills gave way to lightweight armour and a red scarf.

Broken Edge pulled it up over the bottom half of his face, and put his hand on his sword. The look in his eyes was determined, it challenged his audience, daring them to raise a voice in protest. “I will go.” He gave a nod to Phoenix and Maya. “Neither of those monsters will lay a single claw on them.”

“Dessie…” Ron looked at his wife. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and let him stand up. As soon as the metal obscured his face and hid his oversized hair curls, it was Mask*DeMasque who looked silently at Broken Edge. A mask on his face, and a mask over his heart.

“Fetch the Steel Samurai.” The ninja stated, pulling out the grappling hook gun Miss. Skye had developed. “Tell him his fans need him.”

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“Watch out, bad guys! Here comes Script Kiddie and his sidekick…uh…Pancake-seer!”

“That’s Panacea!” Pearl insisted, frowning and folding her arms. She’d been learning about ancient Greek times in her lessons that week, and had paid special attention to the stories about gods and goddesses (especially the goddess of healing). “And you were the Cyber Samurai just a minute ago!”

Cody swung his plastic samurai sword around, hitting a few trash cans he was pretending were monsters. Knocking one down, the creature in his head writhing and crawling back to whence it came, he turned and grinned at his companion. “Well, if the bad guys can’t see your face inside a computer, you gotta let them know they just got beat by a kid!” Tapping the side of his nose knowingly, he kicked another make-believe monster to the ground. “Hah!”

The young medium sighed, clasping her hands together and turning away; Mystic Maya wouldn’t be happy about this. They’d just meant to go to the park, but their game had led them far away from where Mr. Nick lived. Now they were in a strange place, that looked like someone had dropped it and not cleaned up the broken pieces. She vaguely remembered seeing it on TV, and people running away…

“Let's go!” suddenly, another small hand grabbed hers, and she was being pulled along. Cody held down his hat with his other hand, samurai sword safely stashed away. “If there’s one place the monster nest’s gonna be, it’s in a big hole in the ground!”

Pearl was starting to lose her enthusiasm more and more; the edge of the hole was a web of cracks. Even as Cody’s sneakers skidded to a halt, a small piece fell down and smashed onto the floor below. A sound like an annoyed grunt, and a piece of the new debris being kicked across the floor, made them both step back. “Are there really monsters down there…?” she hid behind her companion.

“Nah, not really-“ The boy answered, but suddenly lost his confidence as something like a growl came from below. They both hid behind what was left of a wall, just peeking round the edge as a figure in a suit stepped into view, to join his companions. “…But they look like bad guys…real bad guys…”

The man sniffed the air, snarling in frustration. “Nuffin’ down here but junk. Dis place is useless, why’d he send us down here, anyways!?” His ample muscles tensed in frustration, and the man in front of him held up a hand.

“It’s simplementary obvious.” The man shrugged, his jewellery glittering in the light filtering down from above as he gripped his lapels confidently. “We simply tell him that the area is uttermostly inaccessible. A most tragicocious turn of events, most unfortunate…”

“Shut it! Looks like we’ve got company…” Their female companion said, looking straight up. The pair ducked behind the wall, hoping they’d seen someone or something else. The muscular man growled, but was silenced as she pressed herself against him, running an elegantly manicured, pink fingernail along the side of his cheek as her attitude totally changed with a girlish giggle. “Take it easy, sweetie…you don’t need to waste those big, strong arms of yours on the likes of them…”

She glared at the man in front of them. “It’s just a couple of brats. Even you could handle that.”

The pair pressed their backs against the cold wall. Pearl had her mouth covered with both hands, making small whimpering noises – if she screamed, they’d definitely find them. Cody swallowed hard, drawing his plastic sword, and wishing he was in the safe haven of cyberspace as he whispered. “We’ll be okay, Pearl…the good guys always win..!” he sounded less sure as the footsteps approached, and their tone suddenly changed as they drew nearer, as if the owner was wearing a suit of armour.

“Hello, kiddies.” Pearl gasped, and stumbled as she tried to run. Cody simply closed his eyes and flung his toy weapon at the new face – a face they could see through – only to have it bounce off harmlessly. Transparent lips formed a wry smile. “Sorry to end your splendiferous little game so soon-“ a sharp blade, like a piece of broken glass, formed where the man’s fist had once been ”-but you need to learn to stay out of grown-ups’ business…!”

But even a face that seemed indestructible could be blinded by a well-aimed banana skin. “Come on!” It was Pearl and her oft-surprising independent streak who took charge, grabbing her companion’s hand as they made a run for it. Any security had long since evaporated, so there was nobody to come to their rescue – even the most macabre of tourists knew not to set foot here.

The pair rounded a corner; some distance behind them, their attacker gave a roar of anger and disgust as he wiped rotten fruit from his eyes. "You vociferocious brats!" Pearl gave a shrill scream as several long, spear-like crystals embedded themselves in the nearby fence, exactly where her head would've been if she hadn't ducked.

Knocking over a trash can in their wake, the pair headed down narrow alleyway after narrow alleyway, the comforting sounds of traffic and other people getting closer with every step. Then they rounded a corner...only to meet a fence. Putting his hands out to give the shorter Pearl a boost, Cody tried to lift her with all the strength and spirit a Samurai could muster.

"Ow!" The young medium's sandal slipped from her foot as she tried and failed to reach for the top of the fence, and the pair ended up on the ground.

Amidst the dust, the pair found themselves looking through that face again, a body of solid pink crystal in an equally pink suit. The small spikes jutting through the material at odd points withdrew themselves. Transparent teeth grinned and sparkled like diamonds. "Time to say adios, kiddies..."

Pearl concentrated as best she could, trying to muster up some kind of power – her hands glowed uselessly. If only she could do what Mystic Maya could do, or if only she could think of someone big and strong to channel...screwing her eyes shut, she knew she just had to try!

"AAAAAAGH!!!" The young medium opened her eyes, only to be blinded by a shower of sparks. The man jumped and twitched as the electricity left his body, and the now-severed wire that had been hanging overhead finally dropped to the floor.

The end of the cable twitched a few times, and a green light emerged, re-forming into a vaguely human shape. It slowly faded, leaving a proud-looking Cody in its place. "Yeah!" he gave a triumphant finger point. "T-take that..." he added a little nervously as the man groaned and moved slightly. Quickly, the boy extended his hand to Pearl, who was wiping tears. "Come on, we should get to where there's a whole ton of people."

The girl sniffed, wiping her streaming eyes with the back of her hand. As soon as they'd stepped over the unconscious supervillain, they were off again, running as fast and as far as two scared kids could. Then, finally, after wading through nearly shoulder-deep bushes the pair tumbled out onto the grass. "The park...we made it!!" Cody yelled, when he suddenly paused to wrinkle his nose. "What's with all the old people?"

He completely froze as he felt someone cling to him; though there was only a few months between them, Pearl's shyness meant she couldn't help but cling to someone bigger than her. She didn't seem to notice as his cheeks went slightly red, and just tightened her grip as she looked round. “...And why do they look so scared…?” she added.

Somewhere up ahead, something half-crouched in the bushes. Wearing a shattered helmet, torn clothes, and a bite on her leg that still hadn't healed, she was what the newly old people were scared of. Smelling young blood up ahead, she muttered to herself. "Whippersnappers...!"

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Last edited by ExImplode07 on Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.

OLDBAG'S GONNA GET PEARL AND CODY OH SHIT

I've already given you all my comments on MSN, basically. IN SHORT: EPIC WIN AGAIN~ <3 The dialogue is really funny and the story is still fabulous. In particular, I like how you keep involving more and more characters, really showing that this effects EVERYONE, not just a few people. :O

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EPIC, as usual

At first I thought there had been a timewarp, but Oldbag's power was better, and Ronny's reaction was just adorable ("We were supposed to grow old together"). Will she zap Pearl and Cody? Ooh, I can't wait!

So is plant-boy going to become a regular?

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Uh

Cutt'd by people who stole my comments

But, yes, you earned about 9,006 wins with this new chapter. :D

And I already told you most of my comments on IM, anyway. XD

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Last edited by Haibara~n on Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

OH God!
I've only started reading this today and
Durrrr
Im blinded by the pure awesomeness of this whole thing.
You Win ,Guys, YOu Win.

:D Yay! Another fan!

Welcome aboard!

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That was amazing. Oldbag was bad enough, but Redd, May and Tigre? WIN. This keeps getting better and better with each chapter. Keep up the amazing work guys!

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Another great chapter! Oldbag shows up and half of Team Phoenix ages.

Although I thought that Nick was AA4 age but you say that he is older then that? So maybe Nick is 66? I like the thought of older, laid back AA4 Blue Phoenix.

So it looks like Edgy escaped the aged beam...for now. For some reason your description of Oldbag reminded me of an grey alien wearing her hairstyle.

Looking forward to the next part though I get the feeling that Miles may have to distract Oldbag even if he had to go out on a date with her.

At any rate at least it inspires me to draw more GlassesEdgey art.

=D Kallisti rush! I'll let Plodey get to everyone in particular, but thanks for the overwhelming support!

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You guys already know what I have to say about this.

OOOOLLLLDDDDD BEEEEEAAAAMMMMM

AND HELL YES REDD WHITE'S POWER IS SO COOL. EVEN IF HE IS A BABY KILLER.

Our bloodthirsty dinosaur now has competition for his daily dose of vitamin baby, it seems.

In short, this is delightful as ever, and of course I can't stop laughing even now. I'm running around the house telling random family members about it (and most of them have no idea what I'm talking about). <333

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Wow, so many replies to answer. XD Thanks for leavinga ll this up to me, Mercs (you know I'm joking). I guess I may as well start by just saying thanks to everyone. Kallisti's still alive, but especially when I'm studying for my Biology finals, updates won't be very frequent. Thanks for sticking with us, though. <3

Marshmellow - Ooh, looks like Dylan has a fan. XD Yes, like Skelly the prison guard he will be making more appearances. The Bang hasn't just affected the PW crew by sheer co-incidence, so it's good to have some powered OCs, methinks.

Objectholic - Always good to have fresh meat-ah, I mean new fans around. XD Welcome aboard the S.S Kallisti. :3

Shion - Oh yeah! You drew Broken Edge with glasses, right? I liked what you did thar, it'd be nice to see more. And yeah, Nick is about 60-70 ish...hence the grey spikes. XD lol, poor guy. I'm always so mean to him.

Oh, and last but not least, a shoutout to Sh1n1's friend Omni. :3 It's really cool having a Literature Major like Kallisti...and thanks for pointing out those errors/problems. The first few chapters weren't as thoroughly checked/beta'd as the later ones. Soon as I get the time, I'll get around to fixing them >.>

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WAHOO! YESYESYES!

Ok, so old Blue is not such a great thing. Particularly since wrinkles where the hotness should be (did I just say that out loud? I did. Oops)

But Tigre! YAY! But he's not being beaten up. Boo.

All in all, 9 out of 10 mailboxes- I cna't give a perfect score to a cliffhanger. *demands a Kallisti IV drip*

Anyways, new chapter, new art from the Mad Mailboxer:

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Awesome job Jes!

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