Ion Glimpses

[Whisper]

Ion's keeper was known as the Creator. His domain rested perfectly centered inside the Shining Network. The place that Ion called home resembled a mix between a monumental computer circuit mixed with components of a giant clock. Large gears spun around, generating electrical pulses that would flash through the circuit and spread out past the domain to other parts of the Shining Network. The sky held black clouds that would ripple with light from electricity as clouds balanced their charges by displacing monstrous bolts of lightning to other clouds or upon rods that would channel even more energy into the Creator's giant machine.

The Creator would pin Ion against others in insane competitions and tasks that ranged from races across the circuit, battles, or generating enough volts to power strange machinery. What little free time Ion was given, she spent close to the cloud line on a giant rotating cog. She would watch energy dance across the landscape, from the clouds to the ground below as electricity danced across the Network.

Due to her normal capacity, she was given a bit of freedom to move around, but dangers were all around and she often did not travel far out of the domain unless ordered. Inhabitants could be fierce, and the Creator was in competition with others that resided within the Network. Many that would be more then happy to strike out at the Creator through one of its proxies, like Ion.

Ion was not the best fighter, but many were hard pressed to get close and keep up with her. Her speed and reaction time were keen and blended well together. Her captor used it to his advantage, and Ion honed her skills even farther. She remembers dancing upon conductors and moving as pure energy across circuits in the blink of an eye. The feeling of being electricity is something she truly misses, and something she is close to attaining once more...

[Whisper]

There was a secretive and deep longing to plunge farther into what she was made to be and what she had since started to make herself. Some returned and tried to pick up where they had left off. They made there best attempts to be normal. Normal was a sick and twisted fairytale that she wanted nothing of.

Ion sat Indian style upon the hotel bed. Her left hand was extended in front of her as arcs of electricity danced across her finger tips. She let the current build as electricity consumed her arm and raced across all of her left side. Small bolts closed the distance between her arms, legs, and torso. The current continued to build as power exerted to her right side, mirroring the effects of her left until the air hummed and popped surrounding her form.

In a instant, the charge dissipated into nothingness. Her left hand swept from left to right. The lights in the room shut off with the start of the movement, and cut back on with the end motion. Ion’s hand came to a rest on her knee.

She drew in a deep breath, and as she slowly exhaled the intensity of the lights grew as more electricity channeled through the filaments. Ion took care not to call to much so as not to destroy the bulbs in the room. After a moment, she let go of the call as the luminescence returned to normal.

Once upon a time she existed as pure energy and soon she would don that mantle once more…

[Whisper]

The woes and wonders of the mortal life had been a plesant preoccupation lately for Ion. With her job at the Forge, side-work, and time spent at the gym, she had time for little else. It was nice to be so busy that she couldn't think and reflect, yet with everything she had been through, it could not last.

As much as she tried to not think, she could not refrain from using her powers. It was always without thought, like switching on the lights when she got home from work. Deep down she knew nothing had changed, that she was who they made her. It was not like she was trying to be something else, merely trying to stay so busy that she could not think of any of it.

Lately, though, it was not enough. She knew she had been more easy to anger, which given her already short fuse, was becoming exceedingly dangerous. It had caused her to be fired from the coffee-house, for going off on a idiot-of-a-customer. Which in turn, gave her a bit more freetime to think.

All thoughts drew to the same conclusion. I need to get back into the game...

[Whisper]

With a turn of a key, the deadbolt opened and Ion stepped through the threshold of her tiny apartment. Dropping the keys on the counter with a jingling thud, she left a trail of clothing leading into the bathroom. Shutting the drain, she turns on the hot water and settles down in the bath tub with a sigh.

It had been one hell of a day, with pulling another double, and all. The tips were better lately, but it did not seem like enough pay for the amount of idiots she had to put up with. A longer sigh escapes her as she closes her eyes, sliding down farther into the rising hot water.

A normal life sucked...No way around it. She wondered what else she could do besides being a waitress. Ion had no illusions when it came to her people skills...they sucked...maybe there was something more fitting to do for a living...but what?

[Whisper]

Ion had everything laid out upon the kitchen counter. A set of about eight throwing knives, some of different makes, resided inside easy-to-access holders. Next to them, a combat knife, for a bit redundancy rested in their holders. Besides the weaponry, there were a few odds and ends, including various belts to hold the knife cases, and a pair of worn in asics running-shoes.

Ion did think much more would be needed as she eyed over the assortment she had laid out on her kitchen counter. She lifted the combat knife, pulling it from the sheath and running a finger softly upon the edge of the blade. It felt sharp to the touch, a perfect means to quell any threat their hunting party may encounter. She closed it up and placed it back in its rightful place.

Ion moved over to one of the cases filled with throwing knives. Lifting the case up, she studied it for a moment, then knelt down and strap it to her leg. She stepped to the center of her living room and drew in a deep breath. With a blinding flash of motion, the knife went from in-case, to in-hand, and finally into the drywall. There was no pause as a five more of its brothers and sisters found their home embedded in the dry wall. She let out the breath and moved to recover the knives.

Sliding them back into their case, she unstraps it all from her leg and places it back upon the counter. Ion felt content that things were in order. She had no clue what they were going to be up against, but was ready to face the challenges that present themselves and prove herself.

Whatever the Hedge may hold...

[Whisper]

Ion ran along, going for a quick jog like most mornings. The sounds of screeching breaks and metal crunching metal made her cringe and pause dead in her tracks to see where the source came from.

Twenty or so paces away, a Gold Corolla smacked into the back of a Silver Mercedes. Once the initial shock of what happened faded, the driver of the Mercedes hopped out of his car.

"Your F'in Kiddin Me!" The balding man yelled as he moved to the back of his Mercedes to look at the damage. His fists clenched as he saw how bad his bumper was scratched and battered up...

Ion couldn't miss the chance to draw off of that emotion...

"You better have F'in insurance!" Ion heard him yell from a distance. With the emotion drawn from, she continued her morning jog. She did not care to talk to the cops as a witness or deal with any of those idiots bullshit.

[Whisper]

Ion glanced to the sign for Martial Arts classes, wondering if she could even pronounce it. She wanted to learn more and continue to grow and change in ways that she decided. Work had been better lately, and with the extra money she decided she could afford these classes. She paused outside, glancing in through the windows as students trained with their wooden swords. She cocked her head to the side wondering if that was effective...

Only one way to find out...

Ion opened up the door and headed in, her eyes darting around at all the school had to offer. After a moment, a older Japanese man approached. He seemed like he was about to speak, but Ion was quicker. "I want to sign up for classes..."

The man nods. "I am Sensei Kokusai and we train in Toyama Ryu and Mugairyu Iaiyodo and are affliated with Big Tony Alverez and Senpokan Dojo."

Ion nodded, though none of it really made a lick of sense to her.

"How much do classes cost?"

To be continued...

[Whisper]

Ion kneels upon the mat, staring off at the wall of the Dojo. Her focus is on breathing, something she is intimately familiar with from running track. Her hands rest open in her lap, with her palms facing upward. All the training is more than she expected.

Focus on posture, movement, grip, and swing is something Ion expects, but the spiritual side of things catches her completely off-guard. At first she felt a bit of apprehension, yet she finds a subtle peace to the stillness and quiet.

Besides the whole metaphysical-side of things, it is still taking her time to pick up all the lingo. She knows that a kata is a...well it is like a set routine. Each and every kata starts with the sword, well wooden stick, sheathed, and ends with it in the same position. Each and every kata is done hundreds of times.

Letting out a deep breath, a smile forms upon her lips...

To be continued...

[Whisper]

Ion felt intimidated by row after row of books. She couldn't remember the last time she set foot in a library, but knew it most have been sometime back when she was still fully human. Even then, she was not the most academically-oriented kid, playing true to the jock stereo-type. If it had not been for her amazing speed on the track, and persuasion by her coach, she may have ended up repeating a few classes.

Her time in captivity held nothing more in that aspect. Still, she was not here to become a literary expert or learn the intricacies of algebra, she was looking for lore, for any clue to what she had truly become and what implications there may be.

Ion sat down at a computer, her hand guiding the mouse to open up the internet browser. She glanced down to the keyboard as she typed.

"Fae"

Hitting enter, the onslaught of useless information began. She simply stared at the results for a moment, her hand moving back to the mouse, unsure of what to click on. She scrolled down, and saw "Fairy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." With a shrug of her shoulders she clicked on it and began to read through.

It's a start...

To be continued...

[Whisper]

Ion let out a sigh, as she settled down at a computer in the public library.

It takes money to make money...

Ion searched aimlessly, on a short budget, for tools and equipment that would help her in working with electronics.

"Hmm...Wire-Cutters/Stripper, Tweezers, Soldering Iron...Solder..." Ion shook her head. There was so much more she needed, but with the tiny budget she was on, there was not much more she could afford. She sure as hell did not want to fall back into the hole and live from paycheck to paycheck again. Working two jobs to get out of debt and keep up rent for a shitty apartment was something she vowed she would never...ever...ever...do!

...again.

Ion bit her lip slightly as she clicked confirm. It was hard for her to put out the money, but she just had to keep telling herself that it would make things better in the long-run...