Blood Sisters, by Astrodragon, is Morgana's (Dragonsfyre) two-part origin story. The first part was released on 2016-05-10 and complete on 2016-06-21. The story begins sometime in the summer of 2016, but it ends on 2016-09-05 from connections with the next story, which is The Big Apple comes with Calamari.
Summary[]
Part 1[]
Part 1 was published on 2016-05-10. The story is undated, but it occurs during the summer of 2016.
Some time in June[]
- - > Somewhere in Redding.
Rob leaves for his nice summer job, and calls his friend Josh on the way. At work, he discovers that the final load of equipment is late, meaning overtime. (Grin)
Just as they finish getting everything off the loading dock, they get invaded by a number of men in power armor, who proceed to seize about a third of the equipment. They put Rob and his boss out. Then they do another scan and discover that Rob triggers some funky detector. They want him for some reason.
- - > Underground Secret Base.
Rob wakes up in a prison cell. After a bit of disorientation and four glasses of water, three people enter: a guard, a stunningly beautiful if obviously not human girl, and a robed fanatic. The girl does a bit of magic that has him amazed, and then says she needs him in her workshop. Which turns out to be on the other side of some kind of a portal, and which has nothing in common with the underground complex he found himself in.
He meets Bruce, who is short, squat, green, with scales and way too many teeth. They shake hands.
- - > Themes Valley Police Station, Reading, CID
Inspector Morris talks to Rob's uncle, Tim Jones. He learns that the uncle is a healer, now retired from the Army, and his sister is a Gadgeteer-1, but that Rob apparently hasn't manifested. No joy - things are not looking good.
- - > Underground Secret Base
Rob reflects on the past week. Bruce turned out to be an Imp - or that is what he claimed. He also claimed that Thulia is not a demon, at least in the usual terminology. She is a "Type 3 entity", whatever that is.
- - > Thulia's workshop
Thulia does some advanced scans, with her entire array of 256 32K quantum computers powered up and working. Some things are going well, but she seems to be getting a bit more personally involved that is wise.
The next day, she's ready. The procedure goes almost too well: the new BIT has the Exemplar trait, and the Wizard trait is spiking up to a four - which is not good. His body can't take it, and is beginning to go into terminal burnout.
She decides to take an emergency step, and injects him with some of her blood. Everything settles down, the girl will survive.
- - > Underground Secret Base
Rob has a meltdown as she discovers what has happened.
- - > Thulia's workshop
Bruce explains why the change is permanent, some of what it does, and drops the bombshell that Thulia had designed the body she used on this Plane to allow her to use advanced fire magic directly. (He'd taken a standard template.)
- - > Abraxus' office
Thulia and Abraxus have their final meeting. He's under the impression that he has a working procedure.
- - > Thulia's Workshop
Thulia gives Rob a last set of instructions, including Don't sign a contract or swear an oath.
- - > Abraxus' office
Abraxus has Rob brought in. He is not happy when she refuses to sign a contract. Abraxus is not happy. Rob tries to make a break for it. It doesn't work. Two of his acolytes, Illyrius and Samantha, are assigned to break her to their will.
- - > Five weeks later
Manx listens at a window to a group of thieves discussing their next job - and the Redding job. She follows the loot to a fishing boat and then to a smallish island. She follows the loot into the base, captures and begins interrogating some guards. Then Abraxus finds her. He decides to use Manx to finish the process of softening up Rob.
Rob is not in very good shape. The manacles prevent her accessing her power, and she's near the breaking point. (Note: sometime in here they stick a bit of hell-spawn into her. This isn't disclosed until a later story.)
They put Manx in with Rob. Rob removes Manx's blindfold. Then she tells Manx the story.
Part 2[]
Part 2 was published on 2016-06-21. The story is undated, but it end on 2016-09-05.
- - > Abraxus' study
Abraxus decides it's time to finish up breaking Rob. He gives Illyrius instructions.
Meanwhile, Manx manages to pick the locks on the cuffs that are keeping Rob from accessing her power.
Illyrius takes Rob to her next torture session. This time, Rob toasts him, then kills one of the guards and forces the other to take her back to the cell and free Manx. Manx gets to the communications room (three more dead guards) and sends out a call for help. She retrieves her equipment, and they almost make it to the door before the alarm goes up.
They get through the door and head for the coast, the minions close behind them. Meanwhile, Thulia and Bruce watch through a reconnaissance sea gull. Then the AEGIS dropship arrives, with Pendragon and his crew.
A fight ensues. At the end of it, Abraxus is dead and so are his acolytes. The surviving mercenaries are allowed to surrender.
- - > AEGIS headquarters
Rob's older sister, Ceridwen Jones gets a briefing on Rob's status from Dr. Robert Stevenson. Then she goes to see Rob, who tells her that she's decided on a new name: Morgana.
After some more healing, Dr. Stevenson has a conference with Ceridwen Jones and Morgana about her future education. After a bit of discussion, they decide that Whateley may be a possibility. They agree to think it over.
Thulia and Bruce meet Ceridwen Jones in a Starbucks outside of AEGIS headquarters.
Then the final whirlwind of shopping, getting a MID (code name Dragonsfyre) and all the other things before heading for the airport.
- - > somewhere, not on Earth
Thulia talks to her grandmother, Tanau, about what she'd really like to happen to Abraxus. Her grandmother points out that vengeance is usually not a good idea, and will she settle for justice. It turns out that Abraxus has a contract with the Red Ba'al to join his servitors after his death. Thulia finds a few invalidating flaws in the contract. Exit Abraxus to Hell, screaming.
Characters[]
In order of appearances.
Part 1[]
- Jones family
- Tim Jones - Rob's uncle (his parents are dead) - (background)
- Dragonsfyre - Rob Jones
- Ree Jones - Aunt Ree - (background)
- Ceridwen Jones - Rob's big sister
- Josh - school friend - (background)
- Brian - another school friend - (mention)
- Josh's dad - (mention)
- Bill - supervisor at Rob's summer job - (background)
- Yngvi's mercenary Company
- A dozen men in body armor - (background)
- More mercenary guards - (background)
- Plane of fire (or somewhere)
- Thulia - from somewhere else
- Bruce (Imp) - the Imp - Thulia's assistant or something.
- Tanau - Thulia's grandmother - (background)
- Inspector Morris - (background)
- Manx - cat-girl hero with Order of Albion (or something)
Part 2[]
- AEGIS Dropship
- Pendragon - team leader - (background)
- Gunner - Derek - Tactical Officer - (background)
- Warspite - - Power armor jockey - (background)
- Storm Front - - part of assault team - (background)
- Blue Isis - - mage - (background)
- Doctor Baines - doctor at AEGIS - (background)
- Doctor Robert Stevenson - HERMES administrator
- Agent Smithson - British MCO - (background)
- Agent Crombie - American MCO - (background)
- The Blind Lady (Presumably Justice). - (background)
- Clerk in Hell's legal department - (background)
- Clerk's assistant - (background)