Beginnings

Kenny stormed into the room, shoving the bag off his shoulder. "Wake Carol up. We're leaving, I won't be insulted by pretentious bastards who think they know more then me because they let people die. You guys know I'd do anything for you." He began shoving clothes and supplies in the fallen bags.

"Kenneth, hey dude, calm down." Liam placed a gentle hand on Kenny's shoulders, Kenny jerked away.

"I mean who the fuck does he think he is?" He growled, "I've gotten out of horrible situations like that time-"

"I know Kenny," Liam says, kneeling in front of him, "I don't know what they said, but you're the bravest guy I know."

"Kenny," Carol rubbed her eyes sleepily, she crawls over to him. "Don't cry Kenny. I love you."

Kenny is shaking from anger and desperation, "Let's just leave. I'm tired of this city and the people in it. Let's just go, so we can help Jay and ourselves."

--

"Then I suggest we stop wasting time talking, and find these objects."

A man stood in the alleyway as he looked at scrap left behind in the fight. Multiple guards were dead and as he continued to investigate he came to the realization it was carried out by one person. Two black swirls began to circle him as he stood there silently. He grabbed at any ammunition or explosives he could fine and packed them away.

His head was covered in rags and tubes. A large Metallic eye covering his eyes and nose. He worn a torn suit withered by age. He began laughing to himself as he found the body with a stab wound. The person had ripped it out viciously.

---

Radec's guards gathered the two books and returned it to him. "Well one of them I know belongs to the king of thieves and his city. To even dare enter that area without conflict is idiotic. I don't even know which key he may have." Radec replied.

And they did just that, packing all their belongings and leaving the first chance they got. They left through the front entrance. "Goodbye library, you served me well." Liam said petting its walls.

"Stop being sentimental," Carol chided, over the last hour she returned to her 16 year old self ready for anything.

"Don't tell me what to do."

"To late, already did." They bickered on and on. Kenny and Jay watching half irritated, half bemused.

"Come on, I want to get to Kaeti's place before dawn." Kenny instructed.

"Who's that?" Jay asked Liam. Liam laughed.

"You'll see soon enough."

--

"Then I suppose you best be finding it." The man said, raising from his chair.

"Well it isn't my choice but I will not seek the key from him. I believe that to be your job." Radec replied as he stood.

---

The soldiers began to retreat as they fired at the black mass in front of them.

The shadows erupting from the floor to prevent the bullets from piercing the man's skin. He growled as he moved his hands and the shadows began to shake and launched out from various walls and spiked soldiers into the walls. His two mists still circling around him protectively as he began to head down the street.

The man glanced at Radec, "Well then, it seems I'm the one who must be going then." His disposition is still one with little care of the matter of discussion. "It seems you are wasting my time with all this talking."

--

The four move pro-cautiously down the street, each one hyper-sensitive to any stray sound or movement. They're walking became monotonous and dull. Carol stuck by Kenny's side, while Liam surfed one handed on his laptop, Jay stared straight ahead, thoughts drifting a thousand miles away.

A man stumbled into the room and quickly went over to the man in front of Radec. He whispered something hastily before leaving the room. He had just informed him that a few cities had just disappeared and were acting as if they were simply gone. No trace of communication or signals. They technically didn't exist on the grid.

Radec just stared unmoving.

---

The shadows around them seemed to dance as if people seemed to erupt around them from hidden locations. They continued to grow more in number before a man dropped before him. His suit ragged and his head covered in rags. He looked at them behind a metallic eye that covered his face.

He simply stared and watched them.

Jay's thoughts were elsewhere, in a distant memory of the past.

Over the years Jay had decided to avoid his father as much as possible, each time he got near the shell that was his father the less and less he knew of him; the more he was drawn to the object in his hands. Once he had overheard grand requests from the man. And book slithered out its payment. His father's name. Since that point neither he, nor anyone he knows remembers any inkling of his father's first and last name.

--

"That is a predicament," the man murmured, "Very well." The man glanced at Radec, "If you think I'm sharing you are very mistaken. I will search for your keys as you say. But I have things to do that concern me more."

"I think I have found your first target. He is apparently killing some of your forces now. He is dangerous and could lead you to the keys." Radec replied as he stood up. "You'll find him soon and he is your problem now."

---

Jay's shadow began to move. It seemed to spring to life as it followed underneath him. As it walked alongside him, his friend's shadows began to move the same and surrounded Jay's. Eventually the Shadow's began to rip off Jay's limbs and it seemed as the pain transferred into him.

The man nodded, pulling on a jacket, "Sure, I'll take care of it." He combed through his salt and pepper locks in thought. He made his way out the door, just another thing to do to get in his way, the sooner he finished this mess the sooner he could recover the book and his son.

--

"Ahhh!" Jay cried out as a searing pain enveloped him. He couldn't even comprehend the source of the pain, his whole body felt like it was being torn in two. Liam stared wide-eyed at the crumpled Jay a blob of dark energy swelling around him, he looked down at his feet. He saw his shadow elongating and melding with the dark form.

"What the hell is going on..." He breathed, feeling twinges of pain course through him as he struggled to upright Jay with Carol and Kenny.

Alias formed himself in front of them. His dark suit leaking whatever dark tar that was wrestling with Jay's shadow. The rags that covered his head seemed to rustle as his single metallic eye randomly looked upon the group. Chains seemed to strap himself to his wrist as he coughed some more of the black liquid that leaked to the floor.

He fought against the chains as the darkness began to make its way toward them and multiple hands reached out to welcome them.

Jay's breaths were coming out is short gasps and his vision blurred. He felt the others trying to upright him, but the pain scorching through him took all other comprehensive thoughts. Kenny spotted a figure before them, "Who are you?" He asked defensively to the stranger.