*ONE WEEK AND THREE DAYS LATER*

Smoking a cigarette, Prometheus Echo shivered all over.

He wasn't cold, but he felt cold.

'One of them was here. I know it. I fucking KNOW it!'

Standing amongst a crowd of onlookers, City Guard shock troopers urged them to stand back as dozens more scoured Igrath's home. Yesterday, the Guard somehow discovered them and surrounded the house. As expected, many strange things have been happening.

Approximately three days ago, a murder occurred at Grunn's orphanage. Two young male orphans named Mace and Whip were blamed for the murder of a younger orphan.

The following day, the Viscount's daughters, Lilith Calah and her mystery sister Namah, were accused of damaging government property in the antechambers. And, the orphan boys were believed to have helped them.

Scinter found and captured the boys for questioning. Mace described an unusual creature that tried to kill him. When he escaped, the creature went after Paige, the orphan who was murdered and was one of his few friends.

Minutes after explaining his dilemma, Lilith and Namah arrived, both suffering multiple burn injuries, with Lilith suffering the most damage. Namah explained that Tinsel Nanaja attempted to kill them when she overheard her and a man named "Ravat" talking about having someone killed. The sisters assumed the worst and immediately rushed to Calah's office, only to be ambushed by Tinsel, who used her Power to overwhelm them. In an effort to save her sister, Namah unleashed her own Power for the first time, turning the tables on Tinsel and sparing some time for their escape.

The resulting damage to the chamber proves that it was a struggle.

After treating the sisters and putting the young group to sleep, Igrath contacted Pro with this information.

He hasn't been heard from since.

The morning after the Calah sisters were attacked, Pro was informed by the Indigo's that the kids were put on Igrath's Constantine-designed telepad and sent to a random Troika location in Anduruna's vicinity.

The cause of this sudden evacuation of the kids was the appearance of the Mokoi.

After hearing about this, Pro turned into a nervous wreck. Every mention of a Nightmare sends chills up his spine and he can't explain why.

As the day dragged on, Pro read news updates about the City Guard surrounding the house after the Mokoi left. According to the scrolls in the librarian's vault, the Mokoi is the Nightmares' deadliest assassin and doesn't give up for anything. If it left, there was a reason. And, the arrival of the Guard just proves that the Mokoi was acting as a scout and someone ordered the Guard to move in and pinch Igrath, Scinter and Grunn.

'I don't have to guess who. Tinsel... that bitch... why haven't I killed her yet?'

He learned of Igrath's predicament first from the Indigo's as they prepared a distraction for his and Scinter's escape. Grunn was put on the telepad to be sent back to the orphanage.

In the recent days, Pro decided to completely redo his battle outfit and choose something more... classical. They say the Extollo, when they waged war against Anduruna following the Silent Centuries, had deadly scout's who were skilled freerunners and assassins. They wore a unique outfit that made them stand out from the rest of the Extollo army.

Pro decided to adopt this wardrobe with the color scheme being his choice: a black, long-sleeve under tunic, a dark red, sleeveless, hooded over tunic with white edging around the shoulders, dark red pants, black sash belt with a front and back hanging sash, leather belt covering the sash, a single black glove covering the left hand, perfectly-designed vambraces with one sporting the Troika crest, and black leather boots.

His weapons were also of Extollo design: a hidden, retractable blade built into the left vambrace, throwing knives complete with engravings in sheath's on the leather belt, a tomahawk with a triangular blade with a crescent curve, and Tezlov's machete, stuck in its own sheath strapped to the left boot.

Within days, Pro found himself becoming a warrior of the olden times. Thanks to the knowledge of the librarian's secret vault, he even began practicing the art of freerunning and using stealth without the use of his Power.

Soon, Prometheus Echo had become a new man. A man ready for a new war that would soon make its own mark in history.

As for the war beyond Starfall Mountains, the Troika had easily punched through the Maritropan's outer defenses and laid waste to most of the city-state's vital resources. A spokesman for the Troika stood before the captured Maritropa leaders and ordered them never to threaten Constantine ever again. With an unconditional surrender in place and the MMC's remaining forces scattered, Pro ordered for all forces to return to their bases, with the exception of a small contingent to ensure the Maritropan's dissolved their Maritropa Mining Consortium and any other military entities.

All of this was done in as little as five days following the order to attack. Igrath's prediction was off the mark.

Now, Pro stood with the crowd looking over Igrath's ruined home. The stealthy rebel leader shivered again.

'What's taking Igrath so long to reach me? He should have a comm-scroll by now! I swear, if he let those Indigo's get the better of him again....'

As if sensing his anger, his comm-scroll rang. Pulling it out of his pocket, he answered. "Yes?"

"Pro! It's Igrath!"

Concealed with Extollo stealth, Pro darted between civilians as he skipped into a nearby alley. Looking back, he replied, "Talk to me."

"We're in a bit of trouble. Nothing we can't handle, but it's going to take some time. The Indigo's are with us, so they can't check the Starfall telepad right now! You're-"

"Take your time, Igrath. I'll handle it."

A brief pause. "You? Don't you usually send another agent to-"

"I said I'll handle it. You just worry about your own ass for once."

Another pause. "Okay, Pro. Be careful out there."

"I always am."

Hanging up the scroll, Pro looked out at the growing crowd. He turned to look at a window right behind him.

He jumped onto the sill, climbing onto the top of the outer frame and grabbing a rain gutter. Pulling up, he grabbed hold of several red tiles as he pulled himself up.

Standing before the scene of the crime, Pro turned and ran across the rooftops, jumping from one roof to another, occasionally rolling into a land.

"Better get to the safehouse a couple of blocks away."

Reaching another safehouse several minutes later, Pro entered and raced down to a telepad of similar Constantine design in the basement. Setting the coordinates, Pro stepped onto the pad and was dematerialized.

'Those kids sound like they need a breather,' Pro thought before teleporting. 'I'll serve as that breather.'

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

Glance to the left.

Nothing in sight.

Glance to the right.

Nothing in sight.

"I think we're good."

Mace stepped out from the safety of the large oval-shaped tree, which he and his friends used as shelter during the previous night.

Behind him, his friends joined him. His best friend Whip, and the Viscount's daughters, Lilith and Namah Calah.

Lilith rubbed her eyes, looking up at the noontime sun.

"Geez, we've slept for too long. We should've been heading for the city hours ago," Lilith said with a stretch.

"Pweh tee loo shleh," Whip gibbered.

"Yeah, we really did need the rest," Mace replied. "At least we don't have to worry about Smiley, anymore. Great job on that, Lilith."

"Thanks, I guess...," Lilith said with a blush. "I still don't know how I pulled it off, though."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say we're the reason our Power's work the way they do," Namah said.

"We're the reason?" Mace asked. "What does that even mean?"

"Think about it. When Tinsel was about to kill Lilith, my Power just came out. When Lilith was swallowed whole by Smiley, her Power came out, too. I believe our Power only happens when we or someone close to us is in danger. Seems to be the likeliest guess."

"That actually makes sense," Mace replied.

All throughout the conversation, the four runaways climbed down a nearby cliff, now walking along a flat surface topped with trees and several large rocks.

"Beah kee nleh," Whip said with a snort.

"Awww, chill out, Whip. I'm sure if some monster tried to steal your food, you'd probably-"

"Get down!" Namah hissed. She tackled Mace to the ground. Whip and Lilith followed.

They peered over a rock to see two armed Dreamkeepers walk right past them. Each one wore yellow clothes covered in armor and carried weapons completely alien compared to the Andurunan design.

"This is crazy, man. Is the Major even thinking straight? How are we even going to get inside that city? We should just head back to Maritropa."

"You idiot! We go back home and the Troika will kill us! If they don't, then the parliament will have us killed on charges of desertion! Believe me, I'd rather go down guns blazing in Anduruna than have half a dozen poisons injected into me as an execution. It's a lot less painful when you... wait!"

"What's up?"

One of the soldiers looked at a square device mounted to the left side of his rifle.

"I'm picking up four unidentified heartbeats. They're coming from right behind...."

The soldiers spun around. "FREEZE!"

"Ah, crap..." Mace whispered.

"Come out nice and slow. Try anything and we'll fucking kill you!"

The Andurunans rose from their hiding spot, hands raised high.

One soldier grabbed a comm-scroll. "Major! We've got civilians here! Possibly exiles!"

"Hold your position!" a gruff voice replied.

Within seconds, another eight soldiers arrived from above, scaling down with ropes. As the squad surrounded their captives, one last rope dropped down.

The Major arrived, wearing the same uniform but with no armor. A mountain lion with a large scar across his face, he smirked at his prisoners.

"Exiles? More like soon-to-be executed! This is a brilliant opportunity!"

"Sir?"

"The Andurunan's know nothing of about us! All we have to do is pose as mercenaries, bring these brats in and we'll be right in the heart of their city! Anduruna will be ours by sun down tomorrow! It's perfect!"

The soldiers shared their approval, keeping their weapons trained on the would-be heroes.

The Major chuckled. "Stevanovitch, tie them up!"

"Gladly," the soldier replied, pulling out a grappling rope.

Mace and Namah glared at their captors as Stevanovitch moved in.

Just as he reached them, he stopped with a look of shock. Falling to his knees, he fell to the ground, a tomahawk sunk into his back.

"AMBUSH! Sound off! Sound off!"

The Maritropan squad open fired in all directions. From the nearby cliff's shadow, a knife ran into one soldier's head. From the cover of a toppled tree, a soldier was about to blindly throw a grenade, but stopped short as a knife hit him. Two soldiers sharing the cover grabbed for the grenade, but it went off.

Three more soldiers went down from friendly fire.

The teens went down to the ground to avoid the gunfire.

"What the hell's going on?" Mace demanded.

He looked across the ground and saw a shadow in the sunlight.

He looked up and saw someone jumping off the cliff. The figure fell straight down.

With a blast of wind, the black-clad Dreamkeeper landed on one knee. Methodically, he rose.

Reaching towards Stevanovitch, the tomahawk ripped out of its target and flew to the Dreamkeeper.

The soldiers spotted him. Turning their rifles, the figure ran at them.

The bullets went right past their target as he ran. The soldiers frantically hip fired.

The Dreamkeeper stopped in front of them. Tomahawk in hand, he severed one soldiers right arm at the elbow, then slashed his throat.

The last soldier took aim, but the figure pulled out a machete and ran it through the soldiers foot. He screamed as the machete came up and sliced through his jaw.

The Major witnessed this with fear. "No! NOO! Damn it all!"

Instantly, he took off running. Without hesitation, the attacker followed. Running across rocks and fallen trees, the figure followed his retreating prey. Climbing through another tree, he reached the top and blindly leapt out.

The Major looked back to see his fallen squad, but no attacker. He then noticed the shade in his eyes. He looked up in time to breathe his last breath.

With a retractable blade, the attacker landed on the Major, sinking the blade into his neck.

Gracefully, he pulled out the blade and stood over his kill. Retracting his blade, the hooded figure went back to the battle area.

* * * * *

"What just happened?" Mace asked, befuddled.

"I have NO idea," Namah said. "That was more intense than the war movies I've seen, that's for sure."

"Why were they shooting everywhere?" Lilith asked. "What was attacking us?"

"You mean, what was attacking them?"

They turned to see their savior. "That would be me."

"WREEEE!" Whip growled.

"Easy, Whip! He helped us!"

The figure watched the teens squabble.

"Look out!" Namah shouted.

The figure sensed it long ago.

Spinning around, he grabbed a wounded soldier's left arm, holding one of the figures throwing knives. With his right hand, the figure retrieved his weapon without a fight.

The soldier croaked, realizing he couldn't control his grip on the knife.

"Thanks for bringing this back to me," the figure said with a smile. "Here's your reward."

Pushing his hand into the soldier, he flew across the ground and into a tree, his skull splattering against the bark.

The teens went silent at the display.

"These Maritropans just won't give up," he said.

"Who are you?" Mace asked for the group.

The figure looked and smiled. "I'm someone you can trust. The name is Prometheus Echo. Everyone calls me Pro."

"You're Prometheus Echo?" Lilith gasped. "I wrote a report about you when I was in the Academy! I thought you died a long time ago."

Pro looked around. "Come with me. There's an emergency bunker built by the Troika that we can hole up in for a little bit. It's a long walk to get there, but it's the safest place to answer your questions. Plus, we'll be closer to the city when we get there."

Pro ran and jumped off a cliff, landing safely to the ground below. He sensed the group was following.

'Maybe I should help them down," he thought, raising his Power's strength.

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

Several miles down the cliffs, Anduruna's proud defense wall was nearly in walking distance.

The young group stopped behind Pro, who stood in front of a giant tree.

"Whoa," Mace mumbled. "That's the biggest tree I've seen on this mountain."

"Impressive it may be, why stop here?" Namah asked.

Without a word, Pro walked forward and ducked through the tree's roots. Pausing to glance at the group, he went inside.

The teens looked at each other, then cautiously followed.

Walking through the roots, they found Pro brushing away leaves from the ground. When he finished, he found a circular handle in the ground.

"There you are."

Grabbing it, he pulled and a square slab of the dirt went up with the handle, revealing a hidden staircase.

"Well, this answers my question," Namah exclaimed.

"Follow me and I'll answer all your questions down here," Pro said, stepping down the stairs.

The group followed closely behind. The dirt slab closed itself behind them.

"Stay calm. That was just me."

"But, how did you close it when you went in first?" Lilith asked worriedly.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Pro stepped into a dark room. Reaching out, he grabbed a gloworb and shook it, awakening the glowfish within.

As the teens entered the room, Pro reached out with one arm and several more gloworbs around the room shook by themselves. Within seconds, the room was revealed.

A small bunker with a wall-mounted info-scroll, smaller info-scrolls lined up on a table and dozens of crates full of supplies.

With his Power, Pro pulled five crates from a large stack and placed them in a circle in the center of the bunker.

"Take a seat and we'll talk," Pro offered.

Slowly, the group took a seat and Pro fell onto the last crate.

"So, you're a psychokinetic," Namah said aloud.

"That's right."

"I read about those kind of people," Lilith said. "We still can't decide if it's a Power or a natural ability."

"Power's aren't unnatural. We were born with them for a reason."

"And, you say that 'cause you're an exile?"

Pro sighed. "All right, let's start from the beginning. My name is Prometheus Echo. I am the leader of the Troika rebellion. The same rebellion your uncle and his friends support. I launched this rebellion fourteen years ago after I was framed... by Tinsel Nanaja."

The group gasped in shock.

"Is that right?" Namah asked. "For some reason, that's not surprising. But, she was almost as old as me around that time. And, I don't think I was born yet. What happened?"

Pro gave her a sidelong glance. She returned it with a look of confusion. He chuckled and continued.

"I was 20 back then. I was a famous Quake singer. I had everything! When I was born, the doctors noticed a strange defect. Only it wasn't a defect, it was my Power. A Power doesn't fully manifest until the age of 13. My Power was already near full strength when I was just 2. After the government took me in and studied me, they returned me to my parents. I'm the reason why they know as much about psychokinesist's as they do. Because of my Power, I unintentionally excelled with knowledge. I didn't even have to go to senior high after graduating junior high. I started my music career at the age of 15. At that time, Tinsel was a national hit as a child superstar.

"She was 8 at that time. Along the line, she became a singer in Hood. It doesn't take long in the stardom to get smart. She knew what she was doing. Eventually, we were at a stalemate for a while. Then, she finally... had enough of me.

"And did the one thing she shouldn't have done to me."

Pro's face went cold as he stared into space. "After arriving at Sabbaton to perform at a concert, I was arrested on charges of crimes against the government. They found me guilty, regardless of the evidence being fake and Tinsel actually being a part of the jury. The prisons went into a riot around that time, so they stuffed me in a vacant room on the Viscount's private floor."

He reached into his pant's pocket and pulled out a momento he took from his home a long time ago. A photograph.

"I had a baby sister named Sabba. When my parents died from a freak accident, I was given full custody to raise her. To make sure she stayed out of harm's way of the government or the people, my parents kept her a secret and I continued the effort. I had hired a baby-sitter to watch her the night I was arrested. He was completely retarded and the wrong guy for the job. My sister was left alone after I was imprisoned. When my house was looted, authorities found her body. When I found out,..."

Pro reached up and rubbed his head. "Maybe it's better if I showed you. Give you a better idea of what happened. Look towards me."

All four teens turned towards Pro as he reached out.

They shook their heads as images flashed through their minds.

* * * * *

"...I'll try to be back by 8 P.M. And, please... try not to think of anything else to do that'll make you run off. I won't have Sabba be left alone. You hear me?"

* * * * *

"Prometheus Echo, you are under arrest for subversion and terrorism. Please come peacefully."

* * * * *

"Your Honor!" Jasper shouted, standing up. "The law states that evidence of possible subversion MUST be presented during the trial, not before!"

"That law does not exist! Sit down!"

* * * * *

"No!" Pro screamed, jumping from his seat. Jasper rose in utter shock. "You can't do that! There's not enough evidence! I didn't do any of that! This is bullshit! You can't do this to me! I-"

* * * * *

"It was you, wasn't it? You've got connections, don't you? You BRIBED these people! You're trying to ruin me! You little bitch! How DARE you do this to ME!"

* * * * *

"NO! You can't! I have a sister! She's only a kid! I can't leave her alone! You can't do this to me! Don't! Let me go! Please! NO! NOO! NOO! NAAUUGHHOOO! NRAAAUUUGGHHHGHH~!"

* * * * *

"Hey, Pro! I thought you'd like some entertainment! Enjoy!"

Tezlov stared at Pro as he made it to his feet. He turned and saw the data-scroll. Like a starving man, he grabbed it and made a stuttering gasp.

"It's beautifuuuul," Pro whispered.

"Still know how to use it? Play the video," Tezlov instructed.

"Okay," Pro whispered, barely noticing the report's title.

* * * * *

"Attention! Attention! Attention all occupants of the Sabbaton Towers! Evacuate immediately! An escaped Infractor is loose in the Towers! Repeat, escaped Infractor in the Towers! Proceed to the elevators and stairs in an orderly fashion as soon as possible. Emergency protocols commencing!"

* * * * *

"Uh, look, Pro, I can help you. I know that whoever that kid was, she was close to you. But, don't make things any worse on yourself than they already are."

* * * * *

'Tinsel, Hindenburg, the jury, the politicians; everyone who was involved... must pay. But, it has to be today. Before I leave the Towers. Preferably, during the evacuation.'

* * * * *

"FUCKING PEDO PIECE OF SHIT! HE'S THE FUCKER WHO GOT THROUGH TO THE COURTS! That law about holding evidence until the trial WAS real! He just had it taken out and increased the sentence to life 'cause that little bitch gave him a pussy to fuck! DAMMIT!"

* * * * *

"Oh, you think you can screw with me, Calah boy? I'm gonna screw with YOU!"

* * * * *

Calah held his arms up. "Please... don't kill me..."

Pro stared down at him. With a snarl, he slammed his machete right into the concrete, next to Calah's head.

He looked at the blade, then at Pro. The Dreamkeeper gave Calah his most intense glare, then pulled the blade out.

"I'll be watching you," Pro whispered.

* * * * *

"...So far, there have been eleven reports of separate murders, each being killed via stabbing, burning or mutilation. There were also reports of two other murders in the first hour of Prometheus's escape. Further investigation has revealed that all thirteen victims were related to Prometheus and his music career...."

* * * * *

"Prometheus," the judge stuttered. "You-you don't understand! The Viscount had cut my salary! He cut everybody's salary! We needed the money! You have no idea how much I've been hating myself since that day! I'm sorry with every fiber of my being! I'm sorry! Please spare me and- and I'll find some way to help you! I'm the Supreme Court judge, after all! I'll clear your charges! I'll erase the sentence! I'll give back your music career! Please! Please, I beg of you...!"

Pro looked at the man's tear-dripping face.

"Can you bring my sister back?"

Hindenburg whimpered, "What?"

"I didn't think so."

Pro raised his blade up.

"PromeTHEU-!"

* * * * *

"Well, what do you know?" the snake said with a smile. "Another poor soul looking for shelter. Well, you're in the right place, my friend!"

Pro looked on as the snake reached out with a hand. "The name's Scinter! I run this market."

* * * * *

"As of this moment, I am declaring a state of rebellion! From this day forth, we, and any others who wish to join us, will strike from the shadows, exploit the system from the inside, and wreak havoc in the public eye. The fight will be long and arduous, but it will pay off in the end. Soon, no one else will suffer from the tyranny of a suppressive democracy. Soon, no one will suffer because of another person's greed or anger. Soon, all will be free to express their ideas without being robbed by the government that they hoped to contribute those ideas to.

"Soon, the name of the Troika will ring out through the streets of OUR nation! OUR people will cheer for us because we will have fought for what is rightfully theirs! Their rights, their ideas, their freedoms! For Anduruna, we will be victorious!"

* * * * *

"My search has been tiring, but I think it was well worth it. By your agreement, I pronounce you the second leader of the Troika. What do you say, 'Captain'?"

"I assume the worst has happened for me. I guess I haven't a choice."

"Good choice, my friend. You won't regret it. Come on! Follow me to your new home."

* * * * *

The teens blinked, looking over at Pro.

"Yeah, I've had a "colorful" history."

"Whoa," Namah gasped. "And I thought 'Snow Queen' was nutty."

"So,... that's what really happened," Lilith said. "That's... I don't know what to say. Our dad... he wouldn't have done that! Because of Tinsel! He wouldn't have!"

Mace rubbed his throat, thinking of the violently disturbing images. Whip shared his discomfort.

"What I'm curious about is why did everything go fuzzy after you said you'd screw with my dad? You didn't... actually..."

All eyes turned to Pro. He chuckled. "Let's just say there are some things I want to keep to myself."

The teens looked away.

Pro stood up. "Okay, now that you know my story and I've been brought up to speed on yours, let's say we go find Igrath and see what we should do next."

The group stood up without a word.

Pro walked to the stairs, smiling. 'They grow up so fast.'

* * * * *

Closing the dirt slab door, Pro looked at the young heroes.

"All right, follow me."

Pro walked out of the tree.

Lilith looked at Namah, who looked upset.

"Namah? What's wrong?"

Namah shook her head. "Nothing. Just... nothing. Come on."

She jogged after Pro.

Lilith looked back at Mace and Whip. They shrugged.

Frowning, Lilith followed her sister.

The dangers had just begun for the Dreamkeepers.

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