As always, none of this belongs to me. It's just a random idea I had and thought I'd explore. I highly recommend not suing because you wouldn't get anything out of it except lawyer bills. I will not be stating this again, because once should be enough.

Cheon Chun Hei was having a nightmare. She was sure of it.

It began a week ago. She'd woken up after a strange nightmare of fighting monsters and solving odd riddles feeling lightheaded in her cozy apartment in Seoul and like she'd swallowed something odd along with the faint aftertaste of honey in her mouth.

When she'd gotten up and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water, the door to her room slammed open with a small flash of light when she touched it. She'd jumped back, startled, and stared down at her hand, which had what looked like an ethereal flame coating it. She'd nearly screamed.

Things hadn't gotten better over the next few days. Her apartment was in shambles, and she didn't dare go outside. It had gotten to the point that she simply huddled on the ground, shaking and crying, wondering what she had done that the gods would curse her like this. It was only when she got desperate that she began to slowly control whatever was happening to her. Slowly she began to keep destructive outbursts of whatever power this was from affecting things as she tried to eat and bathe, though she wasn't entirely successful all the time.

Still, over time she managed to begin consciously manipulating whatever energy it was that now infused her, hoping for more control to keep it from making things worse. She'd formed a small shooting gallery of already broken knick knacks, managing to launch small bullets of energy at them. It tired her, but she persevered, driven in no small part by fear and a need to get her life back to normal.

Then, in the early morning hours there had been a knock on her door. Chun Hei rarely got visitors, not exactly being a social butterfly, so she'd tentatively opened the door.

In front of her, standing silently was a mu, a monk or shaman. His head was close cut, the only hair wiry stubble covering his head. He wore a thick green robe edged in black, and rope cord around his neck which reached his lower chest. She could see black tattoos trailing up his neck and along his lower jaw along with his hands from under his robe. However she barely noticed those things. What had her attention was the fact that he had his lips sewn shut.

Chun Hei stepped back, eyes wide, the door silently opening fully, letting the mu see her fully. "W-who are you? W-what do you want?" She'd asked, somewhat panicked. Yes, she knew they were stupid questions, as he would not be able to answer, but she couldn't help it.

The mu walked into the room, steps sure, and gave her a small bow when he stopped before her. She swallowed as he began to raise his arm, finger outstretched, and stepped back. He pointed directly at the center of her forehead, and what seemed like a small bolt of static electricity escaped his finger and struck the area he was pointing at. Her world immediately went dark.

She'd awoken to the feeling of falling onto the wet ground, rain pelting her body. The sound of a car door closing came from behind her. Most likely where she had been thrown from. Then there was the sound of the vehicle speeding away.

So now there she was, slowly picking herself off of the floor, the front of her rather thin top soaked through, making her wish she'd worn a bra. She looked around to try and get her bearings to see where she'd been dumped.

It looked like an alley in another area of Seoul, most of the buildings short with slanted tile roofs. She glanced back at where the car had been only to stare. Where there should have been a street, there was only the brick wall of a dead end alley.

She stood, staring at the impossibility for a time, trying to comprehend it, before closing her eyes to center herself and turning back around. It seemed like there was only one way out of there. She moved forward, hoping to find some way back home.

Once out of the alley she looked around, trying to get a sense of where exactly she was. There didn't seem to be much indication as to her current location. She saw advertisements for a PC Bang along with other signage, but nothing that would tell her where she was.

She caught sight of something strange, however. A mass of small butterflies was whirling around by a car on the street directly in front of her. Considering the rain it was odd for so many to be out and about. She made her way forward to investigate, only for the butterflies to move away when she'd nearly reached them, stopping further down the street. It was like they were leading her to something.

"Well, not the oddest thing that has happened to me in the last week." Chun Hei murmured to herself, following along, hoping she would be led somewhere she could get help.

She was led around a corner and to the steps of one of the taller buildings, which bore a large glowing red sign stating it was the Kumiho Hotel. She hurried in as the butterflies scattered in all directions, happy to be out of the rain.

Gazing around, she found that there was a small lounge area in the lobby of the hotel. On a small stage a woman was swaying lightly to music, before she began to sing softly into a microphone to a couple of men seated nearby with the looks of music executives. Perhaps an audition.

Further away from the stage sat an older man in glasses looking through some papers, studying them intently. As there wasn't anybody behind the counter at the moment, Chun Hei moved towards him, hoping he might be able to help her. He looked up and nodded to her as she approached, unable to keep his eyes from dipping down to her chest very briefly before he went back to his papers. She suddenly remembered that her top was essentially see through, and quickly crossed her arms over her small breasts to keep her nipples from being visible as she resumed approaching, blushing slightly at the fact that the man had seen her that way.

At least he appeared to be more engrossed in his work than her. He was muttering to himself. "It's in here...somewhere. I've seen it. I've...I've seen..." He looked back up at her as she sat down nearby, and she was gratified that he at least had enough self-control to not try to catch another look, instead looking her in the eyes. "Are you, are you familiar with the butterfly effect? Hm?" He suddenly asked her before she could speak.

Chun Hei blinked, closing her mouth, wondering why he was asking her, of all people. Yes, she had heard of the butterfly effect, mostly in various media, but she didn't know anything deeper about it. She was, after all, going to university to study art. Not mathematics.

The man continued at her look of confusion, evidently believing the confusion was about the topic itself, not why he had brought it up to a complete stranger. "It asserts that just a tiny change in initial conditions can dramatically change the long term behavior of a system. Like a, like a butterfly's wings affecting the weather system, turning a light breeze into… into a tsunami." He made a soft sound of thought. She opened her mouth again to try to interrupt and ask her own question, but he kept going. "Most people take this to mean there's no way to predict or find patterns in a system so easily affected by tiny, random, seemingly insignificant events. But, but, chaos theory is not about chaos. It's about order. It's about finding the underlying order in apparently random data. Hm? In chaos. In other words, chaos isn't... eh… chaos isn't. There's always order. Always. That order... is what the Dragon chases, relentlessly."

"What?" Chun Hei blurted out, wondering what the man was rambling about now. The dragon? What dragon?

The man resumed his tirade, and she realized as he spoke that he'd been dying to speak about this to someone, anyone, and it was all coming out, his voice intense. "What they're doing is experimentation. They're testing the system. They're breeding butterflies so they can discern the patterns. The more random data they introduce to the system, the more data they get back. They're creating a model of the Universe, one tsunami at a time." He leaned back, looking back at his papers. "But this, this is a controlled experiment. So the Dragon ensures that with every, tiny, random change... They remain in complete control. They're ruthless planners and what they're doing... what they're planning is acts of..." He paused in thought, as though trying to figure out how to phrase it. "In a way, they are terrorists..." He didn't seem to notice her small start or the widening of her eyes at the word.

"Except their acts of terror are small, seemingly without consequence." He continued, as though trying to ease her nerves. "They don't blow up buildings or planes. They don't murder the innocent. They don't have a doctrine. What they are doing is a lot more subtle. A lot more, ah, effective. They have enough data in their models now to predict causality, at least to some degree. They put you somewhere, they have a good idea what's going to happen." He smiled at her lightly before continuing on slowly. "That's what it's all about, why you've been brought here, to this area of Seoul."

"How did you know that I was brought here?" She blurted out. Was he expecting her? Was he with those mu? Or with the Dragon he was talking about?

"It is obvious." He said, as though it truly was. "But I'm sure you're asking yourself, why me? Hm?" He shrugged as his voice turned serious. "It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters now, is that you've been brought here because they want you here. They need you here. Everything, from the moment they visited you until this conversation... it may seem like a series of coincidences. Random events." He began to laugh deeply, amused. "Carefully planned, part of a model they've designed. Part of a system. It's an experiment, don't you see? Everything has a purpose. Everything is true." He brought a cigarette she hadn't noticed to his lips, gazing at her intently. "Sooner or later, they all go upstairs."

Chun Hei swallowed and got up, moving away from the man. He gave a sardonic smile before turning back to his papers. She stood awkwardly in the lobby, trying to figure out what to do now. There still wasn't anybody behind the counter she could speak to, and the man had rattled her.

At least now she had an idea of how brought her here. That organization, the Dragon, wanted something from her. The question was, what did she do about it?

"They all go upstairs…" She murmured, wondering. If she went upstairs, would she find any answers? Answers about why she was brought here? She wasn't stupid, she knew that it most likely involved whatever power had turned her world upside down a week ago. That just worried her more.

In the end, she decided she couldn't just stand in the lobby in slowly drying clothes forever. She began to move towards the staircase leading up, hesitantly at first, and slowly made her way up the stairs.

She knew where to go as soon as she got to the second floor. The group of butterflies floating in front of an open door at the end of the hall might as well have been a neon sign. She made her way over only to be stopped when she reached the doorway by a large, muscled man with oddly ashen skin that blocked her way, looking menacing. He was dressed only in old style underwear that most wouldn't see in real life, which meant she could see the colorful tattoos on his arms and legs in all their glory.

"Um, I'm sorry, I think I have the wrong room." She said softly, stepping away. She stopped when a breathtakingly beautiful woman in a red dress stepped up behind the man, her dark eyes gazing at Chun Hei speculatively.

The woman pressed her hand against the man's arm, making him step to the side. She then stepped forward and took Chun Hei's hand, her own silky soft, before gently pulling her into the room and leading her to the bed without any hesitation. She sat her down at the end of it, and Chun Hei just followed along, feeling anxious and wondering what was going on.

The woman moved back to the tattooed man and whispered something to him. He leaned over to glance at Chun Hei before moving out the door as the woman walked back into the room.

The woman looked at Chun Hei as she walked around to stand in front of her, making her self-conscious as she once again remembered that her clothes were wet and her breasts, small as they were, were on full display. She swallowed as the woman reached out to caress her cool cheek gently with her soft hand.

The woman smiled softly. "You're shy." She said as her hand drifted along Chun Hei's cheek before she let a finger lightly caress her lips, making the younger woman let out a soft sigh.

She'd long known she was at the very least attracted to girls, though she had never experimented with anybody. Then again, that was unsurprising considering she hadn't even kissed a boy yet either. So to have this gorgeous woman, so sensual and confident, act like this with her got straight through her defenses, compromised as they were by the recent worry and fear, making her take comfort in the simple touch of a woman she didn't know.

"Shy, confused, lost, mhm..." The woman continued, reading Chun Hei like a book. Then she walked towards the window, gazing outside, speaking as she walked. Chun Hei's gaze followed her, eyes briefly glancing down to take in an almost perfect rear. "You're not lost anymore. The Dragon found you."

Chun Hei's heartbeat sped up, now at the reminder of the fact that the Dragon wanted something from her. She opened her mouth to ask the woman why, but she was interrupted.

"And now... You've found me." The woman turned to look at Chun Hei. "Everything happens for a reason. Every event...no matter how small, has...consequences." She turned and walked back to her as she spoke. Then she set her hands on Chun Hei's cool shoulders and began to gently push her down back onto the bed. "They will ask you do things, and most of the time, you will not know why or what the consequences may be." She got on the bed and straddled Chun Hei, her dress riding up to reveal more of her sinfully perfect legs. "It is the curse of the Dragon. We do not know why we do what we do. But we do it regardless, because they tell us it is right." She began to slowly lean down as she spoke, Chun Hei's breath catching. "From chaos...there is order. Order, and clarity." She moved as though to kiss Chun Hei, and said girl could only whimper softly when the woman moved back when their lips were about to touch. "The one moment of absolute clarity from in that brief exhalation of ecstasy. When our minds are empty, we are receptive to the truth." The woman moved close again, moving to the side of Chun Hei's head, acting like she was about to kiss her neck, but moving back at the last moment once again. "Most of the time, you will not understand their reasons." She did the same thing to the other side of her neck. "You will not be able to see the consequences of your actions. But there is one event you must understand...one truth." She'd moved so her lips were just an inch from the dip between Chun Hei's breasts, making the girl shiver at the feel of her hot breath. "It's my job to help you see it."

The woman proceeded to move down Chun Hei's body, her hands reaching to move the short, lightly tattered skirt she usually wore around the house up over her hips, exposing her panty clad sex. The woman gazed up at her, briefly, and Chun Hei once again forgot how to breathe. As the woman slowly peeled the underwear down, exposing her neatly trimmed patch of black pubic hair and puffy lips, Chun Hei tried to speak. Things were going too fast, her mind was whirling and lost in confusion and anxiety, but something kept her quiet and still even as her heart thundered in her chest. Then the woman's lips touched her most intimate place, and Chun Hei's thoughts lost all coherence. Sensations she'd never felt before struck her body, making her lose herself in the feeling.

It seemed to last an eternity. Her hands were fisting the sheets of the bed hard as she tried to hold the oncoming explosion back. Eventually, however, she finally lost control and fell over the edge.

And just as the woman had said, in the instant between her mind going blank from pleasure and the return of lucidity, it happened. Her eyes snapped open.

And she Saw…

Elizabeth McClane had been having a weird week.

Liz, as she preferred to be known, had woken up one night after a strange dream involving killing monsters with an assault rifle to a sore throat and the odd taste of honey in her mouth. Deciding to get some medicine she'd reached for her light robe to put over her nude body only for it to suddenly catch fire, the flames an odd white and blue, making her yelp and fall off the bed.

Even as she watched, the robe crumbled into ash, and when it did the flame dissipated. Nothing else had been affected by the fire, and the only evidence it had ever happened was the small pile of ash on the ground.

That wasn't the only incident to happen. By the third day after the event it became pretty clear that whatever was happening was real, and was wrecking her freaking apartment! She was a small time model trying to make it big in New York, she didn't have the time or money for this bullshit!

As it was, she had to stay in her home and subsist off of takeout. She couldn't risk suddenly freezing a cab or something. The time she'd burned some of her money to a crisp when she'd tried to pay for the Chinese she'd ordered was bad enough.

Slowly but surely, however, she managed to gain control of whatever this was. She'd gotten to the point that she was juggling orbs of energy, and she was no longer destroying everything in sight. She actually felt she could go back out into the city soon.

Of course, that was when things went wrong again.

It began with a knock on the door. She'd hastily put something on (so she liked to be naked in her apartment. Sue her!) and opened the door slightly to find some random man outside. He was a sleazy looking guy in a rumpled but expensive looking suit and sunglasses, with short, messy hair. He grinned sardonically before whistling when he saw the damage she hadn't gotten around to cleaning up.

"Somebody's been bad. I approve. Mind if I come in?" He said as he pushed past her into the apartment.

"What the fu-?" Liz began.

"Time is ticking so I'll cut straight to the chase." The man said quickly, cutting her off. "I work in talent acquisition, specializing in a highly unconventional sector for a very particular client. And they're particularly interested in your kind of talent." He glanced around again. "Fucking stuff up... putting it back together. Altering the fabric of space and time. Basic thaumaturgy. My client is only interested in the best of the best." He grinned. "That's where I come in."

Liz felt her stomach fall to the floor. Somebody knew what she could do, and she could recognize a sleazy talent shark a mile away. He looked like exactly the type to try to make her sleep with him for an 'opportunity'. This was bad.

"Your talent is raw, but it's... obvious." He said, looking around at the still messed up apartment once again. "My client has the means to refine that talent and make the most of what you've got, and I'm not talking about money." He paused before continuing with a light smirk. "Well, not just money."

In spite of herself, Liz felt some interest at that. After all, one of the reasons she'd worked so hard to become a model was to make sure she'd never go hungry again. This could be an opportunity.

She wasn't going to be stupid about it, though.

The talent shark continued. "Protection. Power. The best parties in the biz." He said, apparently reading her interest. "We're prepared to give you a unique opportunity. A chance to prove you've got what it takes to hang with the big boys and girls. To rule the world." He said rather grandiosely. "It's up to you to grab that opportunity by the balls." He grinned, making a fist.

Once again, Liz felt the stirrings of interest. This could be exactly what she'd always wanted. A chance to be big, and secure. To be somebody.

"Based on what I've seen so far, you might be what I'm looking for. Or..." He leaned forward and looked at her over his glasses. "You might end up dead."

And now the fear was back. It was obvious these people played for keeps. They wanted her, and they had both large carrots and even larger sticks.

"Time will tell. Tick..." He snapped his fingers. "…Tock. You have an appointment tomorrow in Brooklyn that I'd recommend you keep." He handed her a card with nothing on it but a blue symbol. "There's no address. Consider this the commencement of your official interview. Find us." He began to make his way out of the apartment. "Or we'll find you. My client has...eyes everywhere. Don't be stupid." He snapped his fingers again with a smirk and a wink. "Later, gator!"

And he left her standing, afraid and alone, in her apartment.

So now she was walking up the stairs out of the subway in Brooklyn, trying to figure out where she had to go. For obvious reasons, she was determined that she wouldn't miss her appointment with whatever group had contacted her. She glanced down at her only clue, seeing the image of the blue pyramid with a circle in the middle on the card she'd been given.

She walked for a bit, looking around for anything that might give her an indication on where to go. As she was walking by a laundromat she glanced down to find a stack of magazines with the title 'Weird Non-Fiction'. What caught her eye was a small image of the symbol on the card, alongside the statement 'Illuminati Replace Porn Star With Body Double'. Which was utterly ridiculous. Why a porn star? More importantly…

"The Illuminati? Seriously?" She asked herself. Then she shrugged lightly with a sigh. If magic was obviously real, then who was to say the Illuminati weren't?

Debating with herself briefly she finally walked into the laundromat to see if the owner knew anything about the magazines and the Illuminati. She didn't really expect much, though.

Seeing nobody in the first room but a couple of customers, she moved into the back room full of dryers to find a stocky man standing in front of a desk, looking through papers full of odd pictures. Off to the side, seated on one of the dryers, was an attractive brunette with short hair and glasses working on a laptop.

"Uh, excuse me. I wondered if you could help me with something…" Liz began.

"No, no, no... too much visibility on the street." He said after turning to see her and motioning her away from the doorway, his voice shaky and erratic, like he'd had one coffee too many. "They're listening, they're always listening. That's why I keep the dryers running 24/7. They bugged my phones, read my mail... They have this place on CCTV... Replaced my girlfriend with an android!" He whispered, motioning to the brunette, who glanced up at them.

Liz's eye twitched and she considered beginning to slowly back away. "Okay… This was clearly a mistake…" She whispered to herself.

The man didn't seem to notice. "The Illuminati. I know you know, and they know I know. You know?" He let out a short, chortling laugh. "Oh, you're wondering why they haven't disappeared me, shut down my magazine?"

No, that was most definitely not what she was wondering.

"It's 'cause I play smart. I play along. It's a game to them, you know, it's all just a game!" He said with a smirk.

Suddenly there was a flash of light, and Liz turned around to find another good looking brunette in glasses, this one with long hair, holding a camera she'd just used to take a picture of them. Liz felt herself tense.

"Oh, hi, h-hi, Leah." The man said to the woman as she turned and left after giving him a wave. He turned back to Liz. "Don't worry, sh-she-she's not one of Them. She's in my D&D group." Liz felt her eye twitch once again. The guy didn't seem to notice, as he continued his explanation/rant. "Roleplaying is the only avenue to resist control!" Another twitch, ignored as he began pacing. "We do nothing, nothing, they don't tell us to. They've been conditioning us in-i-i-in every kind of media for years, OK? Example: Pac-Man."

Oh for fuck's sake…

"That's how they see you, ju-ju-ju-just a little head, just a mindshare. And you run through the mazes, the mazes they built, sucking down their pills - the fruit, the forbidden wisdom of Eden, never enough - and you can't shake the fuckin' ghosts, right? I mean, they're watching you, their eyes are always watching you, even beyond death!"

Liz truly felt like reaching out and strangling the man.

"This all adds up! That's where you'll find the Illuminati, at the dark centre. In the ghost house. In the Labyrinth. It's right here! Just-just follow the yellow dot road." Another slightly deranged laugh. "That's all I can say." He turned away from her, and went back to his pictures.

Liz took a couple of deep breaths to get herself under control after enduring that gigantic waste of time.

…Nope, still pissed.

She turned around to head out in order to keep from punching the lunatic. She took a single step before something caught her eye. "No way…" She whispered as she saw a dim yellow light in a corner, hidden by a stack of newspapers that looked like they hadn't been touched since the first George Bush was in office.

Glancing back to make sure the other two weren't paying attention she moved over and shifted the papers just enough to make out a small video camera pointed at the nut's desk. Was it his?

She quickly left the laundromat and looked around, spotting another camera nearby, pointed at the entrance she was standing in. It, too, had a dim yellow light on.

"You're kidding, right? I really need to follow the yellow dots?" She moved towards the camera and looked for another, finding it after a bit of searching.

So it went, following the trail of cameras for the next ten minutes like freaking breadcrumbs. It was aggravating, but she finally found what appeared to be her destination.

It was an abandoned building with an open door to a stairway. The only thing that indicated that it was what she was looking for was the same symbol as on the card above the door, painted in graffiti. She stepped in and, since the stairs going up were blocked, made her way downstairs.

The area she found herself in seemed to be a bit of a maze, which several homeless people were making their own. She found herself wandering the place, ending up in dead ends several times till she noticed a grafittied image of a hand holding a blue eye that appeared to point at the correct doorways. Then she began to make some progress. Eventually she reached what appeared to be the entrance to a large, concrete bunker with the blue pyramid painted just beyond the doorless entryway.

She took a deep breath before walking in, her heart beginning to pound in her chest due to her nerves. Behind the wall with the painted pyramid was a checkpoint with an illuminated doorway surrounded by dark glass. Beyond it she could see two guards in blue uniforms, wearing gasmasks and holding mean looking assault rifles. She swallowed and stepped through the doorway.

An alarm began to sound loudly as soon as she stepped through and opened her mouth to greet the guards, and suddenly she blacked out. "Oh shi-" She managed to get out as she fell.

She heard a woman's voice speak. "You know the drill, run them through Due Diligence."

A man's voice responded. "I'm on it. And please, no head trauma!"

Her senses came back enough at one point that she could tell she was being dragged along the floor, and when she looked she saw that it was the two guards, each holding an arm and pulling her along.

One of them spoke. "Someone ping Cassini to shut the fucking alarm off."

Liz tried to regain her senses, but failed, and as she faded again she heard the male voice from before ask the guards. "Say, have you ever seen a person void themselves from exposure to pink noise?"

When she finally came to it was to find herself strapped to a sort of medical bed, and not in the way she'd usually enjoy, while a man with the look of a mad scientist, crazy hair and all, was preparing a needle full of something she was pretty damn sure she didn't want anywhere near her.

The scientist, noticing she was awake, looked down at her and spoke, revealing himself as the one she'd heard before talking about pink noise. "Hi. Have you ever seen a psychiatrist or taken psychedelic drugs?"

Liz, of course, promptly began to struggle.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't freak out." The doctor said, backing away on his chair in surprise. "You've got a lot of narcosynthetics in your system. To fast-track the rapport process." He made calming motions, though they were hindered by the giant fucking needle he was still holding. He continued talking, apparently trying to get her to stop struggling. "So, make yourself comfortable, before you lose motor function in your arms and legs."

She paused in her struggles and glared at him. She tried to open her mouth to say something must likely extremely violent, but found for some reason that she couldn't speak. Her mouth seemed stuck shut, so all she could do was make an angry noise.

The doctor didn't seem to notice, leaning back into her field of view. He held up the needle and motioned to it. "'Is it safe?'" He began laughing like he heard something hilarious. Taking this as a bad sign, Liz resumed her struggles. The doctor waved his hand dismissively. "Ha, no. I'm just fucking with you. I'm a researcher." He began to explain. "An experimental researcher-"

He was interrupted by a familiar woman's voice coming from the computer on the nearby desk. "Zurn, my schedule is triple-booked, so get started ten minutes ago."

The doctor, Zurn, wheeled himself over to the computer and spoke to it. "Yes, ma'am, Ms Geary!" He turned to Liz and rolled his eyes slightly. "Management."

Ms Geary spoke again, faux clearing her throat. "Ahem, still here."

Zurn quickly shut off the computer. "Shit. Knew that." He gave a nervous laugh. "Wow. Illuminati, always there." He wheeled back over to Liz's bound form. "Okay, today we're going to be provoking your extrahuman potential. Routine tests, psychic driving, invasive procedures, autosuggestion. This is all going to happen while you're under a post-hypnosis roleplaying scenario. …I wouldn't worry about it." He finished with a shrug.

Liz stared at him. The hell? She'd understood maybe half of what he just said, and she wasn't even really sure about the other half. One thing she did do, of course, was worry.

"I'm going to play you a looped recording of the catastrophe in Tokyo." He said. Liz started, wondering why he was going to play something like that. Yes, it was a huge event, a terrorist group setting off a huge bomb of something that meant that the entire district of Kaidan in Tokyo had to be quarantined. Was he implying that was a supernatural event?

Zurn continued talking. "And then, with a little..." He took a hit from an inhaler. "…chemical assistance, your uninhibited neurons are going to work their..." He waved his hands over her form. "…crazy magic."

As he spoke, she felt the effect of whatever drugs he'd pumped into her system take hold, her eyesight fading again even though she kept her eyes wide open.

"I won't lie to you." She vaguely heard Zurn say. "This is going to be an intense out-of-body experience. Wow! I'm pretty excited myself." He sight faded almost completely, her last sight Zurn's hand waving in front of her face to test her perception. The last thing she heard before her consciousness faded completely was Zurn saying. "And… subject has… left the building."

And she Saw…

Amanda Hall was having the time of her bloody life!

It all began when she got super powers like something out of a comic book a week before. She'd been having an amazing dream about being an adventurer, going into Egyptian tombs and fighting zombies in cemeteries. When she woke up, she could vaguely taste honey in her mouth, which was weird.

She'd gotten up and headed to take a shower when a beam of light suddenly left her hand as she was grabbing her towel, cutting it to ribbons. She'd stood, staring in shock for the longest time, before she slowly began to grin.

It took quite a bit of experimenting, and her expensive London flat ended up looking like she'd invited a bunch of football hooligans over for a party, but she'd eagerly managed to do a bunch of different things with her new powers, from the cutting trick to using them as bullets to electric attacks. None of it was very strong, but she knew she'd get better. And then she could go out and put them to use. The thought made her giddy.

She was finally making her way to her computer to check on any jobs to do for the first time since she woke up with her powers when there was a knock on the door. Curious and wondering who'd be visiting her at that time of night, she moved over to open it, finding a tall woman with brown shoulder length hair in the hallway. She had an ornate cross on a necklace hanging from her neck, drawing Amanda's eyes briefly.

The woman casually opened the door all the way as she spoke. "Good afternoon. Are you…?" She walked in brazenly as Amanda gawked at her and looked around the room, which Amanda had only lightly cleaned up. "From the look of things, I guess that question is moot. Bee problem? There's a lot of that going around."

"Uh, what? I don't…" What did bees have to do with anything?

The woman turned back to Amanda. "I represent an organization headquartered in London. A very large organization with branches across the globe and connections in every government." She explained quickly but surely. "Although we see ourselves as a…" She tilted her head in thought momentarily before continuing. "A silent partner. We pull strings. Big strings. Prime ministers, presidents, kings…" She took a few steps toward Amanda, whose heart was beating harder than usual.

Was this woman implying she worked for some sort of, of secret society? She knew she got powers out of a comic book, but somebody already wanted to recruit her?

"Dark days are coming." The woman said seriously, eyes hard as she looked into Amanda's brown orbs. "The world is in turmoil and we're recruiting. Soldiers, agents, adventurers… crusaders. And we offer good terms." She said, continuing her pitch. "A fresh start, a network unlike any other, unlimited resources, a fantastic medical plan… And a way to harness and use your incredible powers."

Amanda swallowed lightly. A way to not only be stronger, but to also be a hero like out of her comic books? It seemed too good to be true. What about the life she already had?

The woman studied her briefly before continuing, seeming to read her thoughts. "It may be a big transition, but look at it this way: This is a unique opportunity. You, have been chosen." She said, lightly tapping a fingertip against Amanda's chest. "You have been granted powers beyond what most can imagine. So you can either be an outcast in a world that will never understand or accept what you've become, or you can join others like you."

Amanda started at that. She wasn't sure why she hadn't considered that there were others with her brand of powers, but it was obvious there would be if there was an organization that knew to recruit her and had an almost perfect pitch set up.

The woman continued speaking, voice passionate, yet controlled, as she paced slightly into the flat, facing away from Amanda. "Take a stand against the rising darkness. And embark on a journey into the unknown, into the hidden places." She turned her gaze to gaze at Amanda. "Into the Secret World."

She turned back towards the still open door and began to walk towards it. "The choice, as we're so fond of saying, is entirely yours. But know this." She paused in front of the younger woman. "Your emerging powers will attract plenty of attention." Amanda felt a thrill of terror at that. "And not everybody is as, um, as accommodating as we are." She looked at Amanda in the eyes again, underscoring the seriousness of her words. "On your own, you'll be easy prey. You might not last a week." Amanda swallowed heavily.

The woman took a letter out of her pocket and handed it to Amanda. "This will get you where you need to go. There are instructions inside. Use it, don't use it, it's your prerogative. You won't see me again." She stepped toward the door and turned to gaze at her. "I trust you'll make the right decision." She walked out into the hall and began to leave before suddenly pausing, turning back to Amanda. "By the way, our organization is called the Templars. You may have heard of us." She smiled slightly. "We've been around a while." She finished slightly sardonically. "Good day." And she was gone.

Amanda stood in her flat, mind whirling, and look down at the letter, which was sealed with an image of a white cross on a red background.

So now she found herself, after a sleepless night thinking, walking into the Ealdwic district of London, a place she'd never been. She felt anxious, but also anticipatory. She was seemingly leaving her old life behind, but had a chance for something… amazing. And she was going to seize the moment with both hands.

She approached a police barricade that was blocking the way into Ealdwic proper. She'd seen them around as she'd walked through London. The attack in Tokyo had everybody scared.

The bobbies noticed her and one held up a hand to stop her. "Sorry, can't let you through without authorization."

Amanda pulled the letter out of her pocket and held it up. "Um, I have this, I was invi-"

The other cop cut her off. "I don't know what that's supposed to be, but it's not-"

A woman was the one to interrupt this time, stepping forward and holding up a badge in their faces. "Alright lads, D.I. Shelley, she's with me." She pulled Amanda aside and through the barricade before she began to speak again. "Do us both a favour and don't go flashing that letter around out here. The boys on the cordons haven't been briefed. As far as they're concerned, this is all just 'heightened awareness' after the terrorist attack in Tokyo." She paused and looked Amanda over before setting her hands on her hips. "But I don't deal with the bureaucracy, I deal with the truth. About the secret London. About the Templars. I'd say, 'I hope you know what you're getting yourself into...'" She shook her head ruefully. "But you have no idea." She continued in a quieter voice. "Even I only get as involved as I have to, for the sake of us little people."

The inspector paced away from Amanda, towards the barricades, before speaking louder. Sounding somewhat angry. "You've seen it on the news? The Tokyo incident?" Amanda nodded quietly. "That's what happens when the new crowd lets things get out of hand." Shelley turned back to Amanda, a finger raised for emphasis as she spoke vehemently. "Not here, not on my watch. That's the deal. That's always been the deal." She was silent for a moment before sighing and motioning her away. "You'll be safe inside Ealdwic. Go see one of the prophets prophesying up the road, by the tube station. They'll fill you in on the crazy you've got ahead of you. Best be prepared." She began to walk away before offering a parting shot. "My sincerest condolences!"

Amanda stared after the DI before sighing. "Great…" She muttered.

So Tokyo was a supernatural event then? She hadn't seen anything about that on the internet. Then again, she obviously didn't know the correct sites to go to. She'd need to see if she could get dark web addresses from whoever she was meeting with.

Sighing once again she began walking deeper into Ealdwic, passing a theater called the Albion and the tube station, searching for one of the 'prophets' Shelley had mentioned, hoping she'd get some information as promised.

Eventually she found a small crowd gathered around a man in a very odd, colorful outfit standing on a box with… a hand puppet of a king on his hand? She approached, curious, as the puppet began to 'speak'.

"Too late to start recycling! Hehe!" It 'said' in a high pitched, cartoony voice. "To go to raves to save the gorillas! To cash out those Anansi shares! There's a storm coming, mondo storm. Paint your glass houses shut!"

Now the man himself began to speak, hand to mouth like he was sharing a secret. "You don't have to take his word for it." He resumed speaking normally. Or at least, semi-normally. "This is a warning from the sun. It says it's old and tired and scared of death." He pointed at the crowd, voice turning harsh. "It says you've lived as young gods for too long! Spoilt children who only need to wish for something and it'll come true!" His voice shifted to mocking. "Well, those days are gone now and won't come here again!" He laughed, the sound dark. "Sorry! I'll show you how it all goes down, through the medium of unreliable narration. A vision of the future. This could be your lucky day! Tomorrow and all the ones after...not so much." He finished a bit more quietly.

Amanda felt a pressure begin behind her eyes and shook her head. Just what she needed, a headache.

"It's a hot, wet day." The man began his tale. "You ever notice how the apocalypse always comes on a wet day? There's the smell of warm air and stale piss."

She swayed slightly, vision swimming.

"The atmosphere is electric. I mean actually electric, sparking off the tracks, lifting and snapping your hair."

She felt itching in the back of her neck, and she reached back to rub it even as she continued swaying, gaze fading in and out. "Wha…?" She whispered.

"A voice over the speakers that you don't hear, you itch. The black signal sounds..."

Amanda finally couldn't take anymore, and felt herself collapse to the hard ground. As her gaze faded completely into darkness, she heard the 'prophet' say. "Lights out."

And she Saw…

Welcome, one and all, to my latest fic.

I can already hear you saying "WTF? Why are you starting another one instead of continuing your six others!?"

To which I say: I write what I feel like. Sorry, but not sorry.

So, this is the first ever (as far as I can tell) crossover between Ranma ½ and The Secret World. I've always been a fan of Ranma, and have played TSW since beta, having a lifetime subscription that continues to this day with the new version of the game.

I love the universe of the Secret World. I fell in love with the smart, Lovecraftian story, and the rich lore that you have to piece together yourself. It's not a game that holds your hand as much as others, as demonstrated by the Investigation missions, which really test your brainpower. I highly recommend it to those who haven't played it, especially now that it's F2P without too much bullshit.

For those curious, my main is a Dragon.

Now, to the story itself. Those familiar with TSW will recognize this as the introductions to each faction of the game till the Flashback. I promise that the characters will have more to say going forward. They'll be chatterboxes for sure. There's just no reason to change much about the beginning. A big change will occur soon with the introduction of the Ranma element, which will be in chapter 3. In the meantime, consider the beginning a pseudo novelization.

As it is, I hope I've been able to show the different girls' characters well.

Chun Hei is reluctant to get involved, being the type to want a nice, normal life. Not that the Dragon will give her much choice.

Liz is pissed off at her personal plans being derailed. But that spark of greed and ambition will make her a decent fit for the Illuminati, who can give her some of what she wants.

Amanda is eager. She's the type that would fit in in the worlds of Marvel and DC, eager to become a hero when she gets powers. Of course, it won't be all it's cracked up to be. Something you'd hope she'd be aware of as a comic book buff.

Next chapter will be the Flashback. After that will come the rest of the faction introductions and the reveal of the Ranma element of this story. Then things will get interesting.

To those who don't know much about the Secret World, I hope this story serves as an introduction to this game and makes you interested in trying it out. To those who do, I hope you consider it an entertaining romp through this world.

Enjoy, and please review.