It struck me that perhaps I was getting ahead of myself. That you might want the whole story. At least an explanation of who I am.
I was, and to a certain point, still am Kyle Harkins.
I was drifting through life, working odd jobs and filling in where I found opportunity. It paid the bills and in a place like Paragon City there’s never a lack for work.
But it’s a dangerous city and you learn to watch out. They don’t make the front pages but you can almost always find a story in the paper about super heroics gone awry. How some would-be cultists kidnapped another innocent or how the ferry was delayed again because of Lusca. You learn to keep your eyes and ears open because sometimes trouble follows you on foot and at others it’s on wing.
I was finishing a long day, a double or a triple.. I don’t recall. I was running thin on more caffeine than what the FDA thinks is safe. My normal commute takes me along the blue line, through Steel Canyon and to within a block of walking in Skyway. But some of those previously mentioned delays had occurred and I was hoofing it longer than I’d planned. Long story short, I rounded the corner into Skulls territory and very quickly regretted it.
Push came to shove and someone pulled out a knife. I didn’t have much to give or wasn’t quick enough in handing over what I did have. Or maybe out of spite, they stabbed me. Twice. And with a couple of laughs they ran off to spend their gains while I bled out.
It was around this time that Ganymedean found me. In a sense, he felt my pain and was able to home in on it. To save me and itself we had to merge, it explained. That it was hurt and needed shelter and that repairing my body was well within its means.
In hindsight I wish I’d read the fine print. I don’t regret my choice but I do have some doubts. I accepted, naturally. Faced with death and a slow demise at that I feel that most people would choose whatever option B was. But there are details I would like to have known before my life was inextricably bound to a higher purpose.
The merging wasn’t painful. I did recover fully as I was told. But I was quickly briefed on a few key topics. Chiefly, that I would now be hunted. That we were know known as Ganymedean and that we were hunted by the Nictus. That the Nictus had allies specially tasked with hunting us down.
Of course, the community at large would recognize us. Ganymedean was very clear about that. That we were Kheldian, merged and whole. That some extraordinary powers were within my grasp and that we would understand them in time.
But it was very weak and quickly fell asleep. I still had some of the power but the voice was gone. So I was left with a dash of responsibility, a measure of opportunity and more than a little wonder and excitement.
Comments closed
