Legacy had
agreed without hesitation to Scott’s request, but thoughts about why she agreed
run through Legacy’s head as she stands before her power armour.
And the person we
are going to see is also his family.
But not ours. I never really get how humans define
family using predetermined factors.
It is hard to
understand from an outside perceptive. I only understand it due to my vast
experience.
Legacy moves to
start the process of putting on her power armour on, but hesitates as a thought
strays across her mind.
Ceta, did I have a family before I became the
Guardian?
You didn’t exist
before you became the Guardian.
Yes, I did. I was a supervillain called Shattered
Hope. You told me yourself. I have experienced the memories of David fighting me.
Shattered Hope is
a completely different person to Legacy of Guardian.
I know, but Shattered Hope was who I used to before
being Legacy of Guardian. Come on Ceta! You are never this elusive when it
comes to telling me things. You never keep secrets from me and here you are
trying to deny the truth. Badly I might add.
Like you are one
that is good at lying.
That is beside the point! And don’t try to change the
subject! I wanted to know more about my pre-Guardian life.
You didn’t and
don’t have a pre-Guardian life!
Why are you lying to me!?
I am not lying to
you! My programing doesn’t allow me to lie!
You are not telling the truth so you are as good as
lying!
By
the All-Maker, I am telling you the truth!
No, you are not!
You
don’t understand!
Then explain it to me!
As
you wish.
Legacy
physically flinches at the venom in Ceta’s last three words, briefly wondering
if she crossed a line that she shouldn’t have.
Legacy feels
herself weakening momentarily as her body breaks apart into green shards of
light as she is turned into data and transported to the cyber-world. One where
Legacy spent her time while she was dead and first learnt of her previous
life’s identity.
As she looks
around, Legacy feels her outfit changing from her power armour that is her
default outfit here to a white skirt and a blue t-shirt while white trainers
appear on her feet.
What?
As she looks at
a reflective surface to get a better view of her new clothing, Legacy realises
it isn’t only her outfit that has changed. Her face has become, well, not
covered in make-up, but enough to make her face more attractive. Not only that,
but Legacy’s nail are painted dark blue.
I look like Nicola. Or Alexandria. Or Joan.
As Legacy takes
in her new appearance, still confused by why she would be wearing such clothes
and cosmetics, Ceta appears before her. With the sudden appearance of her AI
companion catching her off guard, Legacy steps back and adopts a combat
position.
For her part,
Ceta momentarily seems amused at Legacy’s reaction, but soon adopts a posture
of...some emotion that Legacy is unable to recognise.
I wonder what she is feeling.
“Ceta,” says
Legacy as she relaxes, “Why do I look like this?”
“Because that is a common outfit of
Charity Hector,” answers Ceta as she begins to pace.
Who?
“Who is Charity
Hector?” asks Legacy.
“The secret identity of Shattered Hope,”
replies Ceta.
“So I used to be
Charity Hector?” inquires Legacy.
“No,” growls Ceta,
now sounding frustrated, “Technically
you were, but what do you know of your past life. What do you feel of your past
life?”
“I-” Legacy
hesitates and her response falters as she realises that she has no connection
to her previous life as Shattered Ho-Charity Hector.
“You see Legacy,”
says Ceta as she gives Legacy a pitying look, “I can tell you about Charity Hector. I can tell you how she
was a feared, but secretly kind and caring supervillain who was unwittingly
used known as Shattered Hope. I can tell you how she had a father called Niles
Achilles who was divorced to her mother Laurie Hector, who as the superhero
Platinum. I can tell you how her father remarried to a woman called Racheal and
how Charity gained a half-sister called Rosabell. I can tell you how she was
popular at school and had a good social life. I can tell you how Shattered
Hope’s teammates were Mechnoid and Snatcher. But none of those will mean a
thing to you Legacy. Because while I can tell you these things, since Atavari ripped
Charity’s mind asunder and damaged a good portion of her soul. And while I
forged you, Legacy of Guardian, from what was left of Charity Hector, you have
retained only insignificant fragments of her. The only noticeable ones are your
physical appearance and your enjoyment of dancing.”
Oh. I never got around to asking Dancing Queen to teaching
me how to how to dance.
So more about Legacy's past life. I believe it first came up in chapter eleven or twelve? Anyway, back then I mentioned it would come up again later in the story and here we are.
ReplyDeleteA bit of background information that I doubt will pop up in-story and some behind-scenes stuff as well. First of all, Legacy's background and home universe is a story concept that I never ended up writing (I wrote League of Heroes instead and then Legacy). Since I had it roughly planned out with a bunch of developed characters, I decided to use it part of the background of Legacy (both the story and the character). Legacy (the character) is the, for lack of better word, the reincarnation of that story's protagonist.
Background time, in that story, Charity Hector got empowered by a transdimenionsal energy being called Atavari, who was powered by hope. Atavari convinced Charity to become a supervillainess called Shattered Hope on the grounds that they were presenting a common enemy for humanity to united against without actually meaning it harm. Long story short, it worked just as Oblivion the Monster showed up. He was fought off (Interlude - Oblivion, which is in October 2015 between 1.5 & 1.6) and at the end of it, Atavari forcibly abandoned Charity Hector and sought a new host, Charity's half-sister Rosabell. Atavari then claimed she is actually good and Charity corrupted her, blaming Charity for the evil deeds that Atavari came up with and forced/convinced Charity to do. Atavari & Rosabell became the superheroine Hopebringer and led that Earth into a golden age, a genuine one for the record. Which was Atavari's plan from the being. Pick one host, corrupt them into a villain to united humanity against a common enemy, discard that host and pick a new one, blame the old host for her crimes and then become a hero with her new host that leads humanity into a golden age. And with the exception of Guardian, everybody fell for it. In the story, Charity was the Villain Protagonist while Guardian (David & Ceta) was the Hero Antagonist who was trying to redeem Charity and save her from Atavari. And when Atavari betrayed Charity, David convinced Ceta to pick her as her new host and sacrificed himself to do so (see Interlude Oblivion again). From there we have the start of Legacy.
A bit more information on what happened to Charity when she became Legacy. Charity had her body, mind and soul destroyed, the relevant information being that Charity lost her memories, physical form and personality. More to it than that, but that is the relevant stuff. Ceta then rebuilt her from near-scratch. Ceta is bending the truth a bit when she says Legacy kept her physical appearance from Charity as Ceta used Charity's appearance on a Deltaen Dorr-Female-Body template. And using a randomly generated personality created from records of past Guardians, Legacy got a new personality from Ceta. Ceta would have done more, but she is old and was severely damaged by Oblivion. In reality, the only true bit of Charity Hector remaining Legacy is her fondness for dancing.
By the way, Ceta absolutely hates Atavari with a passion for what she did to Charity. So did David.
Anyway, next time, we have Legacy's reaction and Joan experimenting with Bree.