A Cat May Look Upon A King

[Electra]

September 15, 2011

Maybe it was small, maybe it was almost empty, maybe it was a little close to the elevated train line and a little far from the grocery store, but the deposits were paid, the lease was signed, and Erin had her very first apartment. Moving in her belongings and the secondhand furniture she'd bought online hadn't taken long, since there wasn't that much of it. It had actually taken her longer to stock the cupboards, the pantry and the refrigerator with the food she'd picked up for her new kitchen. Things didn't matter, but having enough to eat did. Her new place didn't have a TV or a sofa or a table yet, but there was a bed and a bookshelf and a pretty nice chair, with a cat tree for Oliver and plenty of food for girl and feline.

It had probably been silly to rent a place now, when she didn't have enough stuff to furnish a place and when she still hadn't found a job, but it seemed like it was time. What was she going to do in the Manor all day when Trevor was in classes, anyway? She'd spent time cleaning up the Manor, dusting the various rooms and polishing the wood furniture, mostly as a thank you for being allowed to stay there. With her speed, though, it didn't take very long to keep even a big building clean, especially when the people living there were two neat and spartan bachelor-types. Having her own place, and her own bills, would get her past the weird reluctance she felt about getting a new job after the first one had gone down in such spectacular flames. She'd already wasted most of the summer, between one thing and another. Her savings would give her enough to live on for a couple months, even without dipping into the money from Alex that she still felt a little weird about.

[Electra]

As dusk settled outside the windows, Erin walked through and turned on all the lights, which didn't take long. One in the bathroom, one in the tiny galley kitchen, a table lamp sitting on the floor in the bedroom, and a spindly floor lamp that canted slightly to one side next to the chair in the broad hallway that boastfully billed itself as the living room. Wasted electricity, but it made the place feel more cozy, even though it was still way too quiet. She thought about calling Trevor and inviting him over, but somehow it seemed like this first night should be just for her. She also was pretty sure he wasn't totally thrilled about her precipitous move, but she could deal with that tomorrow. If anybody could understand the need for some privacy and solitude, it was going to be Trevor.

Erin sat down in her chair with the rental packet she'd gotten, tucking her feet up under her and settling in to go over all the information on maintenance and community rules and such. She'd barely gotten started when something orange and fuzzy leapt onto the arm of her chair. Only long familiarity kept her from taking a reflexive swipe that could've smeared the intruder against the far wall, but Oliver seemed entirely unconcerned by that possibility. He hunkered in on the arm of the chair, giving Erin an arch look while he groomed one front paw. She chuckled and rubbed his head, right between the ears. "Looks like you're settling in okay," she observed.

[Electra]

The cat purred. More to the point, it appears that you are, echoed a voice in Erin's head, a voice she hadn't heard since the trip to fight Omega. Oliver watched her, seeming utterly calm. A den of your own, a mate, your destiny fulfilled while you are young enough to enjoy it. I'm pleased with how things have worked out.

Erin blinked and rubbed her temples, then looked at Oliver. "So you actually can talk," she observed, not totally sure what to think of that. "I was starting to think that was something Rick Lucas had cooked up just to screw with us. What do you mean, my destiny?" she thought to ask after a moment.

No, I assure that was all quite real, no matter what some in your community prefer to think, Oliver told her sagely. Rick Lucas would not have been my first choice of ally, but he was there when the need arose, and he redeemed himself in the end. Your destiny, he repeated, the ultimate purpose of your life. When we chose you, we had no real idea of how long we would have to mold you before the day came, and it came to pass that the days were far shorter than we could have anticipated. Nevertheless, you acquitted yourself more than adequately in the fight against the Terminus.

[Electra]

A cold shiver ran through Erin as she listened to Oliver's implacably calm mental voice. "What do you mean, when you chose me, or about molding me?" she demanded. "We were in the right place at the right time to stop Omega, and we got damn lucky there. Anyway, you can't... you can't be trying to say you chose me to fight Omega somehow. That's crazy."

Chose you, Oliver repeated implacably, nibbling daintily on the fur around his claws, to fulfill a plan that began its life long before you were thought of, young one. Your youth made you trainable and open to direction, and your stubborn will to survive impressed us. The enhancements to your body allowed you to tolerate the forces we used to empower you, when they might have torn a lesser human apart. And most importantly, we knew you would fight when the time came.

"Empowered me?" Erin echoed faintly, struggling to take it all in. "That's... that's silly. I know where my powers come from. My uncle created the vaccine, he injected me with it and it gave me powers..."

True, true, Oliver agreed with the twitch of an ear. "But that was when you were fourteen years old, and you certainly haven't taken another since then. Yet your powers continued to grow, did they not?

"I was in intensive training!" she pointed out, not liking the edge in her own voice. "Six hours a day, seven days a week! Of course I got better!"

[Electra]

The cat put his whiskers forward and flicked his tail, projecting mild amusement. Erin, surely you don't believe that any training, however intense, suddenly gave you the ability to leap a mile in a singe jump or punch through an impervium wall. To fight Omega, you needed more power than you were ever going to have, even from a lifetime of training. I made sure that you had it.

Erin was silent for a minute, thinking back over all those endless, painful hours of combat and exercise and tactical simulation. "So all of that was for nothing?" she demanded. "All that work, that training, you're trying to say it was just a joke and the reason I started improving was because you gave me more powers?" The idea should've been laughable, but when she thought back, she couldn't help but remember how much more powerful her truly superpowered teammates had been growing while she lagged behind... right up until she'd met Oliver and had begun developing more talents of her own.

Unable to sit still any longer, Erin stood up from the chair and stalked to the window, looking blankly out at the view of brickwork from the building next door. Oliver remained seated on the arm of the chair, tucking his legs under him in a kitty meatloaf shape. Not at all, he assured her, watching her with his big golden eyes. You needed the training to master the new powers quickly enough. They'd have been of little use without your determination to perfect your technique. I had to work diligently to keep Archer on as your trainer. He was quite terrified of you, but his methods, while brutal, were very effective. The training also allowed you to meet and interact with your teammates, who were vital to the success of the mission.

[Electra]

The apartment that had been cozy a moment ago now felt too close, too small to even breathe in. Erin wrenched open the window, cracking several old layers of paint in the process, and stood for a moment with both hands braced on the sill. "So all of this, the past two years, it's all been part of your plan. You made sure I got to Claremont, got trained, gave me a bunch of extra powers and... and made sure I didn't fall apart before I did what you wanted me to," she intuited suddenly, looking over at the cat. "You used me," she accused in a low voice.

Not at all, Oliver retorted, sounding mildly wounded. You volunteered. And from all the available volunteers, and there were many, you were the best candidate.

"Volunteered?" Erin demanded. spinning away from the window to face him. "That's bullshit! I never volunteered to have my life taken over, my friends put in danger, get myself filled up with powers that I thought were mine but aren't-"

[Electra]

You volunteered to be a warrior in the fight against Omega! Oliver interjected. a sudden snap in his mental voice. You cried out for vengeance for your family and your world, and do you think such cries go unheard? Even while you were being groomed for the fight,you spoke with the Omegadrone called Harrier about the possibility of fighting Omega on Nihilor. The only reason you did not go, and your friends with you, was that you discovered what we already knew, that confronting Omega in his stronghold is nothing more than a painful means of suicide. Even then, you considered it for yourself. The plan we engineered gave you the opportunity to destroy the agent of your misery, and to score a decisive victory against the Lord of the Terminus when he was away from his kingdom. Isn't that what you wanted? he pressed.

With confusion and uncertainty deflating some of her righteous anger, Erin was quiet for a minute. "Yes," she finally admitted. "But you still could've told me. I wanted to help kill Omega, but you still used me like a pawn, used all of us. If you engineered all of that, you had to know what was coming. Corbin and Eve... all of us, it hurt us to be thrown into that and see everyone die. You could've let us prepare, at least. Didn't you trust that if you asked, I would go?"

I have never doubted your courage, or your fidelity to the cause of right, Oliver assured her with a swish of his orange tail. But the plan was too easily compromised. If even a whiff of it had gotten to Omega, he'd have altered his plans. Not only would we have lost the chance, but we might not have been able to avert the explosions. It wasn't a risk we could afford to take.

[Electra]

"You keep saying 'we,'" Erin pointed out. "Who is 'we,' anyway? You and Rick Lucas? Was he in on this the whole time?"

Oliver projected an emotion somewhere between amusement and disbelief, his ears swiveling forward. If I could not totally trust your discretion, I most certainly would not trust his. He stumbled over Omega's plan on his own, shortly before its execution, and it seemed wiser to fold him into our strategy rather than have an independent and highly volatile variable in the mix. He proved quite useful in the final analysis, but he was certainly not one of the engineers."

He settled back in on the chair, his tail waving lazily off the arm. The name will mean nothing to you, but I work for an entity calle Zoi the All-Knowing. Zoi is a being rich with knowledge and power, which he bestows upon those who prove themselves worthy of both. Many centuries ago, I and a coven of like-minded sorcerers subjected ourselves to Zoi's testing, in order that we might become guardians of the multiverse against the predations of Omega and those like him. He approved of our motives and granted us what we sought, but at a price. Once you have the power to change the multiverse, you cannot lead a normal life anymore. This past two years have been the closest I have come in a very long time to anything approximating a home. But now, he added with a touch of reluctance, the battle is won, and it is time for me to go.

[Electra]

Erin stared at him for a minute, swallowing hard before turning back to the window. "All this time I thought you were my friend," she said with a choked and humorless laugh. "I thought you cared about me, but it was just a mission, just to make sure I didn't screw it up."

On the contrary, Oliver replied, even as she heard him leave his seat on the chair and approach her. I care very much for you, and that is why I am going to give you a choice.

"A choice?" Erin asked, shifting her gaze to look at the cat. Oliver stood near her ankles, but was refraining from rubbing against them, granting her her space. "What do you mean?"

Once you have the power to change the multiverse, you cannot lead a normal life anymore, Oliver repeated. You destroyed a major manifestation of the Lord of the Terminus himself, a defeat he will need to recover from. It should be some time before he attempts another major incursion. Catching the look on her face, he laid his ears back against his head. It is impossible to kill the ruler of entropy, any more than you can finally defeat any of the natural forces. Cheat them, subvert them, conquer them for a time, yes, but they come back. Dealing a blow, stealing his armor, that is still a victory, he assured her, his mental tone firm.

[Electra]

"I... I guess I didn't realize that," Erin replied, resting her forehead against the window. "But even if it was just a slap in the face, it's something."

It is, the cat agreed, and far more than most people could do. When we formed the plan, my assignment at this point was to bring you with me as I left Prime, to convince you that there is important work yet to be done in the multiverse and that you are the only one who can do it. I can be quite convincing, he claimed with a quick lick of his paw.

"Is that true?" Erin asked, feeling a quick stab of anticipation and dread. "That I'm the only one who can do what needs to be done?"

Yes and no, Oliver equivocated with a tilt of his head. Your superpowers and training make you well-suited to continue the fight against the forces of the Terminus and others who would try and destabilize the balance of the multiverse. You currently posses a rare level of cosmic power that is difficult to find or replicate anywhere. Taking you with me would be a fast and simple way to assure that this power is being used where it is needed most, wherever it is needed most. But you wouldn't be happy, he conceded, his tone gentle. Despite the name you chose, you are not a wanderer. You have suffered and sacrificed as much as anyone could be asked to, and now you have found a home here on Prime. The idea of taking that away from you now pains me. There is another way, though it is not without substantial costs of its own.

[Electra]

"What is it?" Erin asked, mentally bracing herself. Oliver was right, the idea of leaving Prime permanently to fight entropy throughout the multiverse was terrifying to someone who had to steel herself just to make one dimensional hop away from home. That didn't necessarily mean that the price to avoid it would be one she'd be willing to pay. Her thoughts immediately went to Trevor, then the rest of her friends, the extended family she had on Prime, the innocent civilians all around her.

You were the first candidate for the plan, the candidate we chose, but there were others as well, Oliver told her carefully. Other volunteers to the work, some of whom have no ties and prefer to keep it that way. One of them could assume the responsibility and come with me so that you might remain here. But in order to do that, I would need to take back what I have given you. My power is finite, and cannot support two champions.

Erin took a long breath, thinking about that, then looked to Oliver. "So I can stay here with the people I love and have a normal life, but without my powers? That's... that's definitely a steep price."

[Electra]

Not entirely, Oliver assured her. As you yourself pointed out, I did not give you all your powers. You were a powerful young woman when you came to Prime, and that is why you survived to make it so far at all. You will have the powers you once had, no more or less, but with the benefit of two years of education and training as well. It will be enough to let you patrol the streets and fight common crime, even if you will never again face down a cosmic entity. You will be able to have the normal life you desire.

There was a long few minutes of quiet in the small apartment as Erin thought back to how she'd been back then, fighting for her life against threats she could now sweep away with a backhand, startling at every noise because it could be a real threat, watching as her friends trained up their real superpowers and moved onward and upward. It wasn't attractive, but like Oliver said, it was a choice. The powers she'd worked for and taken pride in, or her friends and the life she'd built for herself. "Take them," she heard herself saying. "I choose to stay. Take the powers."

Very well, Oliver replied, sounding unsurprised. I confess that I will miss your company on my travels, but I know you will be happier here, and that is something you deserve.

[Electra]

"I'll miss you, too," Erin said softly. "I wish you didn't have to go."

Even for the most powerful of us, what must be is not always what we wish would be, Oliver mused. With that in mind, though, I wonder if I might prevail upon you for one last favor. He leapt lightly to the windowsill next to her, then out the window she'd opened. In a moment he was back, carrying something in his mouth. As he deposited it on the windowsill, Erin realized it was a kitten, perhaps two months old, entirely orange except for four cream-colored paws, and with very familiar-looking golden eyes. This is a protege of mine, Oliver explained while the kitten was getting his bearings. I would be in your debt if you would look after him for me. He needs a great deal of seasoning.

Erin mustered a broken fragment of a smile from somewhere. "I thought we discussed kitty population control, Oliver," she murmured.

Oliver groomed his shoulder with great dignity. The feline gene pool here on Earth Prime badly needed some improvement, he informed her, and while I was willing to go to great lengths to be a good housepet, neutering was a bridge entirely too far.

[Electra]

"Mmm," was Erin's only reply to that. She extended a finger and scratched the kitten's head, a gesture that was rewarded with a surprisingly loud purr. "I suppose I have already paid the pet deposit on this place... Um, does he talk?" she asked Oliver.

Not yet, Oliver assured her. In a few decades, who knows what could become of him? He has clever eyes, so perhaps, perhaps. He gave the kitten an affectionate lick on the ear, then turned his attention back to Erin. I'm afraid my time is short. You may want to be laying down for this.

Erin nodded, then paused. "Wait, what about Singularity?" she asked. "She's as powerful as I am, or close to it. How can that be? Is this going to affect her, too?"

Oliver inclined his head before jumping to the ground, followed fearlessly by the kitten. Your temporal relationship with Singularity is extremely strong, especially when you are in close proximity or on strongly-related worlds. When you received the powers, an echo of that was reflected into her a well. When you lose them, so will she. It really is better that way.

[Electra]

"You're probably right about that," Erin conceded, following Oliver into the bedroom. She laid down on the twin bed with its purple bedspread, watching as the cat hopped up next to her. "Is this going to hurt?"

Yes, probably so, Oliver replied matter-of-factly. You will heal in time. I suggest you do not spread the news of your new status wider than necessary, lest you attract the attention of old enemies looking for revenge. When she nodded understanding, he boofed her cheek with his head one last time. You've done very well, Erin. I have never regretted choosing you. With that, he sat back on his haunches, his eyes beginning to glow. Erin felt a strange energy, like a huge electrical charge building up all over her body, then all in a rush it burst out of her, seeming to rip through all the flesh and bone that got in its way. For the first time in years, she blacked out.

[Electra]

When Erin woke, the lights were still burning in the apartment, and the clock indicated it was well past midnight. She'd been out for hours, and now she was alone. Well, not entirely alone. She turned her head with great effort, ignoring the muscles that screamed in protest, and looked at the kitten balled up in sleep next to her left biceps. It had all really happened. Oliver was gone, most of her powers were gone. Her destiny, whatever that meant, was finished. For the first time, she wondered what Trevor and the rest of her friends and allies would think if they knew she'd lost so much. Part of the reason Trevor was with her at all was because he was attracted to her fighting skill. What would happen if she coudn't do that anymore? What if her new teammates from the Liberty League didn't want a student-level hero hanging around?

She pushed herself to a sitting position, past muscles that were stiff and painful and strangely bereft of energy. Wouldn't it be hysterical if she gave up her powers, wussed out on one of her best friends, and still couldn't keep Trevor or her Freedom City life? Maybe if she were careful, maybe if she stayed back from the front line, no one would notice for awhile. That is, once she could get out of bed at all... When Erin started to cry, the kitten startled awake and scrambled under the bed as fast as his little legs would take him. She could hardly blame the poor thing, she knew how he felt.