Saturday, July 14, 2001, 8:48 PM

Karlie Log With Kahn Person

Ming Street West
This street is rather like a street fair, tourists and Chinese lining
the streets, examining the wares arrayed along the sidewalks. Hawkers
cry out to the passerby, extolling the virtues of their products. The
street curves around to the East towards Wharf Street, banners and
signs in Chinese characters advertising everything from fresh Duck to
Herbal supplies. There are several restaurants and bakeries here, along
with a few more sedate businesses. A Buddhist temple stands in a small
copse of bamboo, offering peace to all who seek it.

Characters:
Karlie

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As Karlie walks through one of the Ming Street alleys she suddenly notices
she is not alone. From doorways in front of her a pair of young men step
out and block her way. And behind Karlie can hear more people, specifically
two more having stepped out from hiding. All four men are Asian, none of
them could possibly be out of their teens yet. And all of them carry
armament, like nunchaku, switchblades or the like, though none are handling
them in a threatening way.

Karlie retains calm, her senses extending around her, to see what toys
these four carry. Hi-tech suggests professional, non-high tech suggests
gang.. she does not display any threats herself, "..hey." she offers
quietly in greeting.

These definitely look like gangers, their weaponry the kind which could
easily be picked up on the streets by anyone. Add to that their similar
outfits. Black pants and black vests, all done in a chinese style. The
chinese charcter done in red on the backs of their vests leaves little
doubt that these are Crimson Khans. The oldest looking of the boys look
at Karlie, then speaks, "Come with us. The master wishes to see you."

Karlie nods. "sure thing. Guess you heard I'm on the lookout." her hands
slide into her pockets, her posture remains the same. She neither considers
these four threats to her, nor feels she must threaten them. Her thoughts
are oddly on Guardian, partly..

The oldest boy nods, then reaches into a pocket in his vest ...and pulls
out a piece of black cloth, "Put this over your eyes" he says as he holds
it out towards Karlie, "And no questions. The master will give you your
answers if your questions do not anger him."

Karlie unrelaxes her stance. Just a little. She's far from naive, and trust
comes with difficulty on the streets. "great.." she murmurs, "..one of
those days where I wish I could use a phone.." She sighs, nodding. Chinese
gangs don't bother much with street kids, so as long as she stays cool,
this should end up with her being mostly okay. She takes the blindfold,
"this'd best result in be being led somewhere, without requiring help
standing.." she tells the 'leader'. Then she puts the blindfold over her
eyes, tying it securely.

As soon as the blindfold is in place the two boys behind Karlie step up to
her, one on each side. Each of the two grabs her by the arm, just above the
elbow. Their grips are firm, but not enough so that they would cause anyone
any pain. The one who spoke earlier, probably the leader among the four,
speaks again, "You won't fall. Our instructions are that nothing is to
happen to you until the master makes his decision about you and your
questions. Chiun and Lee will make sure you do not trip over anything.
Come." With that he starts walking, the one next to him turning and
following, and the other two guiding Karlie along the winding alleyways.

Karlie nods, still tense, but it's her time she has spent avoiding trouble
on the streets which makes her so. She does not like this, but figures, if
they were going to try killing her, they wouldn't bother with the
blindfold. She keeps in step, her head down somewhat to let her non-visual
senses get a better shot at knowing. Head down, means her eyes don't try
to see, and thus take up concentration.

The path the Khans take is winding and roundabout, at one time, judging by
the smell and sounds, even going through the kitchen of a Chinese
restaurant, only to end out back by the dumpster and continuing up and
down another series of dark, narrow, damp alleyways.

Eventually the path leads to a set of stairs going down. Probably down into
the cellar of a building since Karlie's at street level when she encounters
it. At the bottom of the stairs the leader of the four knock on a wooden
door by the sound of it, then speaks a phrase of some sort in a language
which definitely isn't English. Probably Chinese.

Karlie considers what questions she is going to ask. That doesn't take her
long. So instead, she thinks of the two possible results of her questions.
Cooperation or dismissal..

There's a response from behind the door and the sound someone unlocking it,
then it opens and the four gangers usher the girl through the door,
remaining outside themselves. Inside another man, his voice deeper than the
one who originally spoke to Karlie, says, "Don't remove your blindfold,
girl". The tone of voice definitely carries a hint of warning in it.
Without waiting for answers the man walks away from Karlie, his footsteps
sounding fairly heavy compared to those of the other four she encountered,
and again there's a sound of knocking on wood, this time from the other
side of the room. Karlie can also hear that there are more people than him
in here.

Karlie nods a bit. "sure." she replies, thoughtful in expression. Still not
feeling threatened.. she figures they probably know who she is by now. Not
something she likes the idea of, rather enjoying her anonymity before she
tried superheroing. "probably not that important to see.."

"You got it, girl". Karlie hears from someone else in the room, "Yeah.
Nothing important to see here, and you remember that". Yet another voice,
again not the deep-voiced guy. "Quiet!" a rumbling shout comes from where
the deep-voiced one went, "You are not to talk to her. Only the master
talks to her. Any of you gutterscum have a problem with that?"

Karlie feels her immediate vicinity, looking for steady, small currents.
Ones typically found in old walls, where electricity runs through. She feels
like leaning, and plans to if something is handy nearby. Since no one is
supposed to speak to her, common courtesy would dictate not to try speaking
to them. So she just nods in understanding.

There are no responses from the others in the room, then a voice from where
the deep-voiced one was sounds out, muffled as if behind a door, "Bring her
in, Feng.", it says in a pleasant, fairly light but definitely male voice.
The footsteps of the one called Feng approaches Karlie again and he rumbles,
"The master will see you now. Show him the proper respect if you value your
life". With that he takes her by the arm and leads her across the room to
where he opens a door, pushing her through. The door closes behind the
fledgeling heroine with a click... and then another click, like a lock.

Karlie replies not to the warning, planning to be respectful in the first
place. She has a simple system with gang leaders and their friends. Avoid
them, or be nice to them, and she can sleep easier at night. Anyone who
knows anything can find out where she lives. "evenin'." she greets what she
assumes to be someone in the room, her senses again extending around.

There's a chuckle from somewhere in front of her, and then the voice she
heard before speaks again, "Please, remove the blindfold and have a seat,
miss". The tone of voice sounds like that of someone used to people obeying
the the owner without him having to raise his voice at them.

The room is dark. No windows, the only light coming from that of a reading
light placed on a desk at one end of the room, a comfortable chair behind
it. Standing in front of the desk is a young man, and other than him there
is noone but Karlie in the room. He gestures at a chair placed in the
middle of the room, facing the desk and himself.

Karlie hms. She nods, quite complacent this evening. No forced calm from
her, not a hint of sarcasm. She's been shown courtesy, mostly, which is more
than she usually expects from the underworld types. Off the blindfold comes,
though she does check the chair for any sort of current running in or around
it. She's complacent, but she still isn't trusting.. she sits if she finds
no such thing, and leans back in it.

The leader of the Khans smiles pleasantly at the young heroine, "Please,
make yourself comfortable, child" he says. A strange way of phrasing it, as
he can't possibly be more than a few years older than her himself. He turns
and walks to his own seat behind the desk, sitting down behind it and then
looking at Karlie once more, "You have been asking questions about me and
my soldiers. I would, of course, like to know why."

Karlie takes a moment to try to figure a way to become more comfortable,
and decides to give up on that. She's about as comfortable as she is going
to get. She nods to the request, and gets to the point. "what I heard was
that the Kahns summoned four demons from somewhere else to this world. What
I'm looking for is how to send them back. I'm not planning anything dumb
like punishing you guys for it. You already got enough of that."

The gangleader sighs, looking annoyed for a moment, "I see. So that is what
this is all about. Yes, the fools responsible for that all paid for it with
their lives, one way or another". He looks at Karlie, his green eyes seeming
like they're trying to look _through_ her. For the longest while he says
nothing, then he speaks once again, "Like I said, they are dead, and the
spirits of the world destroyers are lose on this world. What makes you
think you, a mere child, can succeed in stopping them where an entire world
could not stop them from murdering every living creature from the smallest
single-celled organism to the last human being?". There's no mocking tone
in his voice though. He seems genuinely curious... and perhaps a little
amused.

Karlie replies, calmly enough, still not bothered.. in her present state of
mind, little less than someone she cares about coming to danger can snap her
out of it. "they're not strong enough to stop a number of metas from slowing
them down for a while, even when all four are there. What I'm looking for is
how to send them back.. someone called them here, so they didn't do it by
themselves. Probably meaning they can't do it without help." she shrugs her
shoulders slowly. "me personally, I can't do much about 'em.. so I look for
ways that other people can."

The man laughs softly, "Oh yes, slowing them down is always possible...
Until they start taking their opposition seriously. The defenders of their
old world thought they were slowing them down as well". He chuckles again,
then continues, "So you want to send them back, do you? Back to their dead
charnelhouse of a world? Trap them where there is no work left for them to
do? Are you willing to risk the lives... even the very souls of your
superhuman allies to accomplish this?"

Karlie hrms. "their lives? no. Mine? If it protects theirs." she doesn't
seem very amused by this. "what you're trying to tell me is that there's
only one way to go about this? Sending 'em back is the best plan I got.
If there's others, I'd be happy to hear 'em."

He laughs again, though it still isn't a mocking sound. More a genuinely
amused one. "No, no you have the right idea, child. Sending them back is
certainly the best choice. Unless of course you are able to find four
psychichs stronger than any which have ever existed on earth before, all
willing to let the four possess them and who will then use their powers to
keep the four locked within them. Of course, the mental stress would drive
the human prisons irrevocably insane, and once they died the four would be
free to continue the reason for their existence again. No, sending them back
is the right choice, but if you believe that to be without its risk then you
are being foolish, and if foolishness causes the one attempt you are likely
to get at this to fail then you will have doomed every living being on Earth
to being murdered by the four. As long as it lives they will seek it out and
put it to death, no matter how long it takes them. They are implacable. They
cannot be swayed from their purpose. They cannot be reasoned with. They are
evil beyond anything you could ever imagine. Are you still certain you and
your friends are capable of taking on this task?"

Karlie's Observation: This guy acts like he knows a _hell_ of a lot about this stuff for a two-bit
gangleader. Stuff the heroes of this city has spent months finding out he's
just casually tossing out like it's common knowledge.

Karlie shrugs slowly, "from what you just told me, there's no point in not
risking ourselves. We're dead if we don't. Everyone's dead if we don't. So
yeah." She watches The Kahn, "but there's something else you just told me
that's got me thinkin'. You say if I make a sufficiently big mistake, that
I'll doom every living thing on earth. So that kinda makes it sound like if
I don't try this, it might actually be better. There something I'm missing
in the translation?"

The gangleader pauses, standing up and turning his back to Karlie. For a
while he says nothing, then... "Very well, I will tell you what I can. I do
not want these things to think they can destroy my world". He smiles again
as he turns back to face the girl, "And no, it will not be better not to try
it. I am merely saying that one chance to do this is all you are likely to
get. They will not fall for such a ploy again". There's another pause, then
he continues, "The ritual which brought them here was not intended to do so.
I am sure you and your friends have guessed as much already."

Karlie nods a little. "'kay. Just makin' sure I'm clear on this." she settles
quietly, eyes half-closing. She isn't bored, just thoughtful. "I guessed
something around that.." she murmurs. "nobody could be that crazy in
groups.."

He continues, "The ones who conducted the ritual were young... New members
of the Crimson Khans who wished to prove ourselves to the senior members".
He pauses again, seemingly lost in thought for a moment, then continues,
"They somehow got their hands on a manuscript... An old one which was last
used more than fifty years ago". There's yet another pause, then he asks,
"What do you know of the beliefs of the Crimson Khans, child?"

Karlie thinks. "I heard about a professor who had his grandfather try to use
that, I think. Dunno exactly. Spent a lot of time looking for you guys. ...I
heard that you're waiting for something really ancient to lead you. I don't
pretend to understand what or why."

"Something like that", the gangleader says, "The manuscript explained how to
summon our great leader into this world again where he would take his
rightful place as its true ruler". For a moment the way the light from the
readinglamp reflects off his green eyes in the dark room makes them seem
like they're almost glowing, then he moves in front of the desk, sitting
down on top of it, and the eerie sight immediately vanishes, "but that is
beside the point. The point is that they did not know what they were doing.
The way they prepared the ritual was bound to be completely wrong. Their
understanding of the spell itself utterly flawed. It's a miracle, to be
honest, that anything happened at all when they attempted it."

He continues, "*The key to the ritual was the blade of the Great Khan himself.
The sword with which he singlehandedly struck down whole armies of men
standing against him*. Unfortunately the blade was broken fifty years ago by
a group of meddling corporate puppets and The Great Enemy". He frowns, "That
alone was enough to make the ritual flawed. Their amateurish performance of
it was what turned it into a disaster."

Karlie nods slightly. Like what were to happen if she tried to make
something electronic actually work. Like a nuclear weapon. She understands
partial success turned disaster. "...I got that." Her eyes travel up to The
Kahn, listening as he continues, "I guess the way to send them back is sort
of like how they were brought here in the first place?"

The Khan smiles again, "You are a bright child it would seem. Yes, something
like that. *Unfortunately an exact reversal of what thefools did will not do
the trick. In fact, I do not know if it will do anything, and if it does
then it would probably be something bad*." Another pause, then he continues,
"*But the blade is still the key, and the key has to be mended for your plan
to work*. More than that, the ritual has to be performed without fault. Their
essence is bound to this world by the failed ritual. Doing it correctly
should, in theory, release the bond which would just pull them back here
otherwise, and their essence is mingled with that of the blade now. It will
be needed to reopen the portal they stepped through. Again, this,
unfortunately, is not enough. You need one more thing. *The last book
authored by an insane frenchman by the name of DuLac hundreds of years ago*.
DuLac claimed in one of his early rantings to have visited the world of the
four. To have met them himself and witnessed the full horror of what they
were. He escaped them though, and made his way back to this world where he
spent the rest of his life a raving, drooling madman, writing nonsensical,
raving manuscripts. Despite his madness though he still held a spark of
sanity in him, and he spent his clear moments preparing for their coming,
which he was always certain would occur sooner or later. In his very last
book he describes the ritual needed to open a portal to the world of the
four and force them through it". He pauses for a moment again, "Of course,
wether this book was just more ravings of a madman I cannot know. Noone can
until the ritual is performed, which it has never had a chance to so far,
but it is, I believe, the best, and perhaps only chance. Of course, this
ritual has to be performed exactly correct as well.... And it has to be
performed in the same spot and at the same time as the original ritual
attempted by the dead fools."

Karlie rubs her forehead a little. She thought maybe this would be only
horribly complicated, instead of impossibly. It is a rare time that she is
disappointed, this being one of them. Her eyes close, hand moving to rub the
side of her neck. "...I suppose you can't do anything to make sure the ritual
goes in the right direction.." her voice is quiet.

The Khan shakes his head, "I can be of no help during the ritual. The best
I can do is supply you with the manuscript for the summoning of the Great
Khan and instruct one of yours in its finer points if they cannot fully
comprehend it by themselves. I suggest you find allies skillful in the
theories of the arcane, or at least familiar with them. Oh, and of course,
you will have to *find DuLac's last book as well.... I cannot help you there.
The only thing I know about it is that the only known copy has not been seen
or heard of, at least not by the likes of me, the last ten years. I believe
some professor of some kind had some interest in it at that time. Barron...
Barrick... Something like that I think. He might know something or other
about it... if he's even alive... and if I'm not confusing his name, what I
remember of it, with someone else." The Khan looks at Karlie again, "There
is one more thing though..."

He continues, "The four have to be present throughout the rituals. And they
will know what you plan to do once you start it. They will not stand idly by
and let you send them home. And you cannot destroy their bodies while you
keep them there. That would just release them to flee in their spirit forms
without you being able to stop them at all."

Karlie nods slightly, mentally going over the impossible requirements placed
upon her thusfar. Find a book of some kind written by a really old, dead guy.
Find a sword. Find people who have some idea of what they're doing. Find the
manuscript. Find the professor who died. "The professor was killed by those
things.." She nods at the last requirement. "I've been trying to find a way
to keep them without breaking them.. we weren't organized enough when we
fought them at the cop shop.. we took down all but Fire before I got the
idea.." she shakes her head. "all four in one place.. don't suppose you
know any way to weaken 'em.. we couldn't hold them. Too strong to be held,
and we couldn't knock 'em out."

The gangleader shakes his head, "Not really. The best I can suggest is keep
them occupied without destroying their bodies, blocking any exits. And of
course, keep them from killing the ones performing the rituals, which they
_will_ try to do once they realize you're trying to trap them."

He continues, "IF you do it _all_ correctly then, in theory, it should send
the four back to where they came from". Another pause, and he smiles a bit,
"Of course, it has never been tried before, so I cannot say if it has ever
worked in the past."

Karlie nods and sighs. "right. Someone suggested we could encase three of
them in steel.. bind it up real tight.." she rubs her head again. "if we
just had to hold one, we could do it. Maybe two if there's a bunch of us..
four? Cripes.."

A slight smirk comes across the Khan's face, "Sorry I could not make
banishing four destroyers of an entire world easier, child." Another pause,
then he speaks once more, "Now, if there was nothing more..."

Karlie lets out another sigh. "wasn't thinkin' easy. Was thinkin' possible.."
she murmurs. "well..thanks, at least. It's answers we've been looking for."
she stands quietly. "any way I can keep in touch? I have the idea we're
gonna screw up somehow."

The Khan smiles slightly again, "Just put the word on these streets that you
wish to see me and we will find you again. When, or if, you're ready I will
give you the manuscript. And please put the blindfold back on before you
leave."

Karlie nods. "yeh." she puts the blindfold on as she opens the door outside,
to give Kahn time to rearrange the restaurant. Or her house.. or somewhere
equally simple and obvious.. "we'll do our damndest.."

"Good luck, child" the voice of the young Khan says behind Karlie, then the
voice of Feng rumbles as she opens the door, "Come. Your audience is over".
As he leads her firmly to the exit of the building she is once more
deposited in the care of the four men who brought her there in the first
place.