For you... Jamie Jeans 2:45 pm Friday August 21, 1998 For you, Lynx-chan... And so Lynxara did Sonic kill, And from that did we all feel, the horror and sorrow, of the AAAT's terrible bill. For Sonic and his horde, they fight for the dark lord, in this interdimensional game of chess, for more of the board. But in her memory we will face this plight, And for Lynxara we will gather out might, and for her we will fight this fight, and for her, we will enter the night... ___________________________________________________________________ An AAA Interlude: The Tribute Written by Jamie Jeans, Adam Durham, X, NotReallyHere, J.P. Chabot, Dreadnaught, Arsenal XIII, and The Outsyder & Snyder Complied by Alicia Ashby INTRODUCTION: The death of the Lynxara character had been planned as a part of the second AAA storyline from its earliest stages. While we did expect a certain level of shock at the breaking of the AAA's cardinal rule against murder, we weren't prepared for the outburst on the message board that followed. Apparently the character was far more well-liked than we believed, and the murder changed Dark Sonic from a widely hated villain into a universally hated villain. A very interesting message thread evolved from this... a series of graveside tributes, set after Blazej Spacowicz's "The Wake", from various Authors, Avatars, and Characters. These shorts were written by many different people. Some posted frequently to the board; some were entirely unfamiliar. In any case, these spontaneous Interludes were impressive to the point that we felt should be compiled and placed on the main page. They will appear in the order they were posted, with each author's name attached to his work. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did. -- Tim McLees and Alicia Ashby, writers of the Author Avatar Arena _________________________________________________________ Before the Dawn: An AAA Interlude Adam Durham 8:13 pm Tuesday August 11, 1998 The night was cold, the coldest she could remember. Still, she had a duty to her sister, and that's why she stood with her in the cemetery that night. Her sister had just knelt down and placed a bouquet of roses on the grave. "C'mon, oneechan, let's go. If you really want to talk to her, I'm sure Koenma will..." "Lilith," said her sister, cutting her off, "ye dinna have tae stay out here if ye dinna want tae. Just… go back to the club, and leave me alone with Alicia." "... all right, Morrigan. I'll be inside with Davey-kins and Johnny. Don't hesitate to call if you need me." With that, the violet-haired succubus turned and crossed the street, returning to the Club Anipike and leaving Morrigan Aensland alone with her thoughts. "Lynxara... I didnae really know ye that well, and I'm nae going tae pretend that I did. But... ye've still had an impact on my life. If ye hadnae turned down my bid tae manage Dark Oscar, where would I be now? Still on the evil path, and *this* would've never happened tae me." Absently, she brushed her hair out of her eyes, revealing for a brief moment the diamond-shaped goddess symbol on her forehead. "If nae for ye and Shinji creating the 3A, Darling and I would have never met. Alicia... Shaed and I are getting married, this Monday. These flowers... Lilith had gotten them tae be my bouquet, but I felt ye deserved them more than I. I would've wanted ye tae be by my side... but now that'll never happen. "Belldandy and I've tried calling in every single favor Koenma owes us, but we still cannae get him tae let ye come back. Och, but ye must know that; surely he's told ye. Sister's right; if I really wanted tae talk tae ye, I should've gone tae Koenma and asked him. But... I cannae do it. It seems so unfair, that I could be allowed in tae see ye, yet those who actually knew ye could never be. "I willnae take up any more of yer time. Sleep well, Lynxara. Ye've earned it." Blinking back tears, the succubus- turned-goddess stood up, turned, and went to join her sister in the club. ---------------------- You certainly have earned the rest, Lynx-chan. May the real Lynxara enjoy her vacation, and may her fictional counterpart come back... somehow. ***** re: Before the Dawn: An AAA Interlude X 1:49 pm Thursday August 13,1998 The two figures stepped out of the shadows with their heads bowed in prayer. At a distance, they would seem like a professional wrestler and his manager, but up close it would be revealed that it was a monster and a professional wrestler, both wearing all-black tuxedos. The smaller of the two figures, the one called X, stepped towards Lynxara's grave. He was followed closely by the larger figure, known to everyone as Doomsday, who was holding 3 bouquets of flowers in each hand. Both figures had a sad look in their eyes, and for someone they didn't even know very well! "I know that I have not known you very long, Alicia, but I feel that I should be here to talk to you! After all, you gave me hope for the future, seeing you in the ring. You gave me hope of being an Avatar, though I knew I probably would never be one! But now, you lay here, so quiet, so still. It is sad and shocking to see a mighty Power reduced to the grave. I may not have known you very well, but I, as well as my partners, felt like you were a sister to us! My partners, the New Age Wrestlers, could not be here because they are looking for a way to bring you back. So for the New Age Wrestlers, I wish you a nice rest. Sleep well, weary traveler, you journey is at its final resting place." X took 5 of the bouquets from the massive hands of Doomsday and placed them by the grave. After X was finished, Doomsday steeped forward to give his farewell speech. "Lynxara, you have died a hero, a fate that I wish to have. For most of my life I have faced death, whether it has been my own or someone else's, but I have never been as sad as I am now by any of those deaths. That may be because I didn't have a conscious during those deaths, but that doesn't matter to me. Sweet Lynxara, you have inspired me to continue to live! I wish you a safe rest, for there is no guarantee that you will be coming back. If you do, I wish you well in your life. If you don't, I swear on my own life that I will avenge you! Sleep well, Lynxara! May you finally be at peace!" With that Doomsday placed his boquet of flowers on Lynxara's grave and he followed X to their transport. ***** re: Before the Dawn: An AAA Interlude NotReallyHere 0:45 am Wednesday August 12, 1998 Silent Vigil in memoriam NRH Two figures were silhouetted standing over the grave of Lynxara. A third stood with the moon at his back, but he cast no shadow. He stood several paces away from the mourners. Lilith went away, leaving Morrigan alone with the fallen Power. NRH had chosen his position so as not to be so close as to hear the soft words of sorrow other mourners let out. Eventually, the newly-risen goddess departed the graveyard. The insubstantial guardian remained. Throughout the long cold night, he stood, unmoving, tears slowly dripping down his face to moisten the ground he stood on. He had been unable to attend the funeral. With Shinji there, the rest of the dimension had been at greater risk than ever before. To abandon his post would have been no tribute to her memory. When the dawn rose, the somber Avatar stepped forward, ready at last to give his own eulogy, where none but he could hear. He looked down at the many flowers lying on the damp earth and said, "Lynxara... I'm not sure what to say. You gave your life in the most noble way I know... saving another. You sacrificed so much for the AAA, and without you, it is fast becoming a cheerless place indeed. I haven't the eloquence to tell you how much everyone mourns for you. Here, then, is my last gift to you." NRH activated the Plot Device, the Heart of Gold, to make a final gesture to the departed Power with her own heart of gold. The flowers lying on her grave, slowly dying, moved off the grave itself with quiet rustles, then began to take root. In moments, the grave was surrounded by a joyous profusion of living color. The interdimensional guard returned to his duty with a sad heart and a parting message of sorrow. "Sleep well, dear lady of the MiST." Thin fog enveloped the graveyard. ***** re: Before the Dawn: An AAA Interlude J.P. Chabot 0:25 am Friday August 14, 1998 HALF A WEEK LATER in memorandum J.P. Chabot The sky darkened as a huge shadow was cast over the grave and acres of land surrounding it. The _Site Razer_ drifted down until it was nearly 100 meters above the ground. A small elevator descended out of it and landed right next to the grave. Standing on it was a rather stinky individual. He stepped off the elevator and considered the various offerings that had already been deposited on it. "Damn. I go vacationing for a week, and look what happens to you..." J.P.'s expression gave lie to his seemingly callous words. A tear ran down his cheek. "I wasn't even there for the funeral." He pulled out the Channel Changer and considered it. It was capable of so much, and yet was completely useless against what forces had wrought this. You can change people's bodies, but you can't so easily change their souls. As either a human or a lynx-morph, Lynxara had been the greatest to be around. "Here's looking at you, kid." J.P. laid his twisted glasses on the grave alongside the other tokens. "I'm getting some new ones next week, so I hope these'll do." He broke down and sobbed for about a minute, then returned to the _Site Razer_. The gigantic citykiller's lasers glowed briefly, and huge beams of coherent light carved out huge chunks of the surrounding landscape for five minutes. Then the behemoth turned and sped away, leaving a ponderous sculpture of Lynxara's face etched in the bedrock. J.P. Chabot ***** re: Before the Dawn: An AAA Interlude Dreadnaught 3:20 am Wednesday August12, 1998 The sun had just risen over the grave of the ex-PTB. With a soft shimmer of light, two figures appeared next to the grave. One, with sunlight glinting off of his metallic body, knelt down. "We're too late," he said, "Lynx is dead, and according to these readings, this dimension is rapidly becoming unstable." His taller partner flexed his wings and replied, "I told you, Dreadnaught. I was picking up an incredible source of evil from this plane. If we had got here sooner, we might have been able to save her life!" Dreadnaught got back up and turned to his partner, "Draconian, I don't think we could have made much of a difference. You saw the replays, Dark Sonic took out Goku! The last time I scanned him, Goku's energy readings were off the scale. That emerald must contain untold amounts of power!" Draconian snorted, "I still say we can take him. Kefkain and Chris don't worry me. Kefkain is a vampire, and I know how to deal with vampires. Chris is only a danger from ambush, and toward women. As for Sonic, I still say an Anti-Magic Shell will nullify most of his power, after all my magic comes from an entirely different dimension then Final Fantasy. He'll have no experience with it. And with his magic nullified, your weapons should have much more effect." "I don't know, I still think we need allies from this dimension before we could take him on. After he stood up to a Power-That-Be. We're just avatars, hell, we don't even have proper story yet! We'll wait," Dreadnaught rebutted. With a swirl of blue light, the two figures disappeared. ***** re: Before the Dawn: An AAA Interlude Arsenal XIII 2:11 pm Wednesday August 12, 1998 The bridge of Hammer 13 had a subdued glow to it. Kasparov eyed a computer readout, while Kornadov was busy arranging the Hammerspace item storage. Kasparov took the readout. "Hmm.. seems to be a large unbalance in power from the AAA dimension," he noted quietly. "Arsenal, take a look into it." "You're not going to believe this..." said Arsenal, "An author avatar just took out a Power That Be!" Thunder crashes in the background. Kasparov looks around for the source of the thunder, before returning to the matter at hand. "Are you sure about that?" Arsenal assented, "Yeah. It's drawn a lot of attention. Whether he knows it or not, Dark Sonic has everybody Avatar in that Dimension hunting him down." "Maybe they're going at it from the wrong angle," said Kasparov, contemplating, "maybe if you destroy the source of his power, the Emerald, the Dark One will fall." "The SOL trying to escape again," yelled Kornadov from the background, "should I send them another fic?" "Just a minute..." replied Kasparov,"Arsenal, how much do you know about Steven Ratliff......" ArsenalXIII If you want to know what the hell I'm talking about, read the 'Red Dragon Rising' MSTing. ***** re: Before the Dawn: An AAA Interlude Kenny Blackwell 10:01 pm Wednesday August 12, 1998 Silver, clad in his usual black and chrome bodysuit, stood before the grave of Lynxara, as his fellow Clansmen and co-leaders, Moonhowl and her partner Warhunter, and Technique, stood at his side. "... Hmmm..." Silver mused. "System was correct... Dark Sonic's actions may very well tear apart the fabric of Nexuspoint XII." "Tyr's Hand... that's insanity...!" exclaimed Moonhowl, as Warhunter whined in agreement. "Surely he knows this." "He probably doesn't care..." Technique spoke from underneath the face plate of his rubber-like helmet. "Indeed..." Silver agreed. "And the odds are that Dark Sonic may not stop with Nexuspoint XII..." "Mainstream could be next...?" asked Moonhowl. All Silver did was nod. "Assemble the Clansmen and the Tribunal..." he commanded. "Tell them to be ready in case Dark Sonic cannot be stopped in this reality." "And the Revenant?" asked Technique. "Leave him here... he has more important things to deal with." "Right..." Moonhowl tapped on her comm-symbol. "System, teleport by two, homeward bound." Both Silver and Technique vanished in flashes of bright light as Silver remained. Unemotionally, Silver stared at the gravestone, the various momentos laid out on the grave by well-wishers. Silently, Silver reached into his chest, a ripple of liquid chrome emanating from where he reached as he pulled out a comm-symbol; a small red disk with the black scales symbol of the Clan Justice. He then knelt down, placing it on the grave. "Justice will be served..." Silver said. "Your avatars are strong. They will persevere. Do not worry." Standing back up, he tapped his comm-symbol. "System, teleport by one, homeward bound." With a flash of bright light, Silver vanished from the cemetery, leaving the reality he called Nexuspoint XII in the hands of the AAA Avatars... ***** re: Before the Dawn: An AAA Interlude The Outsyder & Snyder 8:42 pm Saturday August 15, 1998 The small gravestone of Lynxara stands silently. A monument to a person, above and beyond mortals, who was struck down in a cruel and unjust way. Various trinkets were strewn around it. Such were gifts coming straight from the hearts of its mourners. Others were much more. Yes, Lynx-chan's death touched everyone who know her well. The clouds suddenly darkened overhead and two figures suddenly appeared. One was a man in his late teens dressed in a golden orange gi ensemble and wooden sandals. He had brown eyes,and his black hair was a mix of a military buzzcut in front and a pony-tail in the back. The gi shirt had the image of the Kyokugenryu Dragon and Tiger (Symbol of the Sakazakis of Art of Fighting fame) patched in the back. The second was a man slightly older than the last. Draped in a long brown overcoat and wearing medival-type boots. His hair and eyes were discernable due to the large brimmed fedora-like hat that adorned his head. Strapped to the back of his coat was a magnificently carved sword with a radiant green jewel in the pommel. Both these men had looks of total sadness. "Pity for such a soul full of power to be vanquished easily by that evil counterpart of Sonic. I feel truly sorry for all these people that knew and loved her. Like you, Snyder," said Elijah Walters AKA the Outsyder. Snyder opened his coat to pull out the bouquet of a dozen white roses he kept there and place them next to the others near the gravestone. He tried very hard to hold back his tears. "Tell me again the reason why I shouldn't use Madriksis to smite down that Horde in one good swoop.", he said through half-gritted teeth. "Because the remaining PTB, Shinji, will not allow it. We are not from this dimension of reality and would cause a paradox if we interfere. Besides, I have a feeling the Horde will be vanquished soon by the people of this realm in due time. Still, I wish to send a couple Haoh-Sho-Koh-Kens to those jerks via Air Outsyder myself!" "You are right. We can't let our presence be known to this world's inhabitants just yet. At least, until the Master's computer gets back on-line and sends our stories out.", Snyder smiled briefly on to be sombered again by his reason of coming. He faced the tombstone, knelt on one knee, took out Madriksis from his sheath, and held it in ceremonial fashion. "Lynxara, be it Power That Be, or Author as Human or Lynx-morph, you had a lot ahead of you. Your untimely death is forever grieved upon by all here and by my Master who sent us here to give you his message. I, Snyder Roylenn, salute you." He raised the sword majestically to the sky. The Outsyder then followed his partner's suit as he likewise knelt. "We know little of you, Lynx, but know this. Our Master does grieve for you and will forever cherish you in his heart. I, Elijah Walters, salute you." He rose his fist high in the air next to Snyder's Madriksis. With the ceremony over, the two got up, gave one last sad look at the tombstone, and immediately disappeared in a stream of light. Seconds later, purely out of coincidence, rain began to fall on the tombstone. Just on the grave and nowhere else. The cool water drenched the bouquets nearby and the fragrance that arose was sweet and aromatic. Yes, this was the way that Snyder and Outsyder's Master grieved the fallen heroine. His tears fell mercifully on the gravestone, making it shine briefly for a while. -MAY ALICIA ENJOY HER WELL DESERVED VACATION AND THAT LYNX BE SOON REBORN. FROM US THREE, LYNX, WE WILL MISS YOU....UNTIL YOU COME BACK THE INNOVATOR- THE MASTER SNYDER ROYLENN-THE MADRIKEREAN ELIJAH WALTERS-THE OUTSYDER