From The Void

[Emily Kaldwin]

It was with a thick malaise that Emily's eyes began to open. Slowly at first with a groggy drag, and then more quickly as the sense of urgency that comes from oversleeping began to set in; it was then that she felt the first bell of alarm that sprung her into action.

Everything was dark. Was this the Void, the same Void where she was marked by the Outsider?

...no, something was different here. A Cheshire grin was manifest in the foreground of her vision that seemed to punctuate the all-encompassing stagnation of darkness. The teeth were a lighthouse beacon, and she the wayward sloop drawn to its familiarity like a moth though she knew not from where it came.

Yet as her feet began the pilgrimage towards the host unknown, her mouth couldn't form the questions on her lips.

“My name is Omni. This is not the world you know. This is the Omniverse. You interest me, so I have made you part of it. The Omniverse is a place that reflects the wishes of those who are part of it. But! There are rules. I will explain them only once, so listen carefully.”

Omni hands you a glimmering orb in which all the colors of the rainbow coalesce. “This is Omnilium. It’s what ties the Omniverse together. Without it, you are nothing. With it, anything you desire can be yours. But you will need more than this. If you desire it enough, you will find it. You will find that using it comes naturally. Just think of what you desire most.

“You will not be alone in the Omniverse. There are others. Of course, they, too desire Omnilium. Do not fear death. For as long as you interest me, you will be reborn.

“That’s all you need to know right now. You’ll figure out the rest soon enough. I’ll be watching … and waiting.”

Exit stage left - young Kaldwin's eyes opened this time to a world inverted in color to that which preceded it; stark white like a polar bear basking in a white-out blizzard met her awakening this time, a white so total that it encompassed all she could see. All, that is, except a single ornate fountain that stood before her like a steadfast companion. With the fog that hazed her mind like a hangover she felt as if she and the fountain were the last two standing after a night of binge-drinking grog; long after everyone had gone home to sleep it off or lost consciousness in the attempt.

Had that been it? Had she been binge-drinking grog?

No, no. That wasn't it. Her off-hand rose up from the hip that holstered her pistol, prizing to feel her throbbing forehead, but something bumped the bridge of her nose before any of that could happen.

The glimmering orb. ...Omnilium.

Maybe this Omni was a demigod, or a God, not unlike the Outsider whose mark she bore. This world, then, would stand to feel as real as the Void - a comparison easily derived. A brush with the supernatural that left her feeling confused was becoming par for the course - always proactive and reactive after a foreign experience; Emily dismissed the orb with a thought, and found her way to the fountain's edge whereupon she gazed out unto the vast horizon of the endless non-descript that had been here to greet her.

Never one to wait, she splashed the water of the fountain on her face with special attention to her tired eyes and high, gaunt cheekbones before turning to march towards destinations unknown. Thoughts of her father flickered through her mind, and thoughts of the quarry she had hunted prior to this; accompanying these thoughts were the idle musings of what was next and the welcome feeling that came with a new mission and a new story to unravel. There was sleuthing to be done to find out her place here, and many questions to ask as to why she had been yanked from her existence and thrust into a new one.

...and so she moved forward. As was her nature. As would always be her nature. With her pistol at her hip, her long hemmed soldier's uniform decorating the blank canvas of this world in its royal blues and gold buttons, and a hardened grit in her step and in her mind she knew not to look back.

[Sterling Archer]

"Jesus, Archer, did you really summon a car with a blowup doll?"

I smirked as I put the key in the ignition, turning it gingerly and relishing the sound of her engine turning over. She roared to life, almost as if awakening to greet me. "That's for you."

"Ha-ha." The soaked bean counter mocked, rolling the window down and tossing his inflatable friend out. Its limp form fell into the fountain with a dull smack as it met the water's surface.

"Suit yourself," I replied, snickering. Maybe the next Prime would find a new friend awaiting them when they arrived.

I gripped the shifter firmly and threw Genie in drive, stomping aggressively on the gas pedal. The smell of burning rubber met my nostrils as we peeled out, a plume of gray smoke thrown up behind us as we rocketed away from the fountain.

Nearly a full minute passed before the ISIS accountant felt the need to chime in once more. "Do you even know where we're going?"

I sighed at the accusatory tone. "Yes, peanut gallery. We're going...this way. I saw something out there in the distance."

"Great, I see you've really given this a lot of thought."

"You know," I began, looking back at the bespectacled man in the rear view. "I could just kill you and resummon you. That's a thing that I could do. Easily. Keep that in mind."

"Yes, your majesty."

"A royal title bestowed on a ruler, which is what I am to you," I snapped, turning around in my seat to jeer at the homely comptroller. "So, not an insult."

"Would you keep your eyes on the...road...or the...whiteness?! There's someone up ahead!"

I turned to face forward, catching sight of a silhouette rapidly approaching as Genie shot full-tilt toward them. I quickly applied my foot to the brake, slowing the vehicle to a much more manageable pace just as we began to approach. "A woman," I muttered, her lithe form obvious beneath her heavy jacket. I squinted to make out any of her features as we neared, slowing to a walking pace beside her.

"Hey, how's it going?" I inquired, a charming smile on my face as I rested my hand on the steering wheel. "Sterling Archer, the Omniverse's Most Dangerous Secret Agent."

"Did you just come up with that?" A mocking voice inquired from the back seat, chuckling. "Smooth."

"Shut up, Cyril."

[Emily Kaldwin]

The purr of an engine approached Emily from behind - it was a far cry louder than anything she'd heard before. Definitely not the sound of a steam-powered carriage. Instinctively her off-hand went to her side-arm where it fell to rest on the butt of the flint-lock, while her dominant hand grasped for a sword that wasn't there. She fought back a moment of panic, and glanced over her shoulder to behold a spectacle of a carriage - black, covered, and with a man behind a steering wheel in its front seats. ...and what appeared to be a greying middle aged man in the back. The pilot was handsome, dark haired and blue eyed with decent bone structure.

The leviathan of a transportation mechanism pulled up beside her with a low rumble and came to match her pace - a pace she dropped immediately to a stand-still; she might feel small in comparison to this thing if she hadn't toppled bigger and badder machines than this back in the Kingdom.

The blue-eyed and suit-adorned stranger leered out with a smile not entirely unpleasant and spoke out a greeting from the window - "Hey, how's it going? Sterling Archer, the Omniverse's Most Dangerous Secret Agent."

Emily flashed back a guarded smile of her own, though her hand never left her pistol.

And then she vanished.

Reappearing in the passenger seat of the vehicle from use of her Blink teleportation; Emily placed her pistol calmly into her lap and rested a hand on it protectively and as a warning. Her eyes remained locked on the back of the man's head. He let out an utterance of surprise, but it was the man in the backseat who caught full awareness of what was unfolding.

"How'd she get inside!?" 'specs yipped out from behing.

The Omniverse's Most Dangerous Secret Agent shook his head. "Phrasing," he interjected quickly, turning his head simultaneously.

Emily cocked the hammer of the flintlock pistol. Then she decided to introduce herself.

"Emily Kaldwin, Empress of Dunwall," she stated, brushing her hair back with the hand that wasn't at rest atop a pistil. Her own smirk mirrored the same cocky self-confidence painted across Archer's face. "You new here? Me too. ...I could use a ride."

She gestured vaguely in the direction she had been headed in. "That direction."

[Sterling Archer]

“So, uh, yeah...how did you just Nightcrawler you way into my front seat?” I scanned the horizon quickly as I spoke, watchful for any other newcomers; vehicular homicide was always such a legal mess. Well, that and a physical mess. “Not that...I’m opposed to the idea at all. Because I’m not.”

Our newcomer, Emily, gave no reply aside from a small smirk. Her gaze remained forward, sharp dark eyes watchful of our path. Despite her composure, her old-fashioned pistol remained in her grasp.

“Okay, I guess you don’t want to share that.” I brushed off her silence; hanging around with people who could possibly make an attempt at my life was practically my job. “Sooo, Empress. That’s pretty impressive.” I gave her a smarmy grin, pouring on the charm. “Dunwall, is that in Scotland or something? I know you don’t have an accent but...”

“Gristol,” Emily interjected, eyes never straying from the ‘road’. “I get the impression we’re not from the same place.”

“What gave that away?” Cyril piped in from the back seat, leaning forward and eyeing her dated garb. “You’re dressed like you’re LARPing...no offense.”

“Cyril, can you please stop dorking over our new friend here?” I put a hand against his chest, shoving his soggy self back into his seat. “And for Christ sake put on your seatbelt.”

“Why do you suddenly care now? I thought you could kill me and summon me back at any time without hesitation?” His eyes narrowed behind his frames, almost seeming more to dare than mock.

“I mean...I still can,” I said, waving dismissively. “I’m saying it because this light has been flashing since we left and it’s going to start beeping if you don’t. Weird that Kreiger is so focused on safety.” I glanced at Emily, a playful smile crossing my face as I reached my free hand over her lap. “I’ll get yours for you...”

Before I could reach the mechanism, strong fingers wrapped around my wrist, twisting my offending arm up and away from her waist. My other hand jerked erratically at the wheel in response, tires squealing as the rubber skipped unevenly on the Nexus floor. I let out an annoyed groan as the muzzle of the woman’s flintlock forced its way into my temple, its owner pulling back the hammer with a loud click.

“I guess that’s a no,” Cyril remarked, chuckling as he slid his own harness over his chest and fastened the buckle. “Who knew someone we barely know would be so adverse to sexual assault?”

“God, I was just trying to be helpful,” I snapped, shaking my arm free of her grasp. “And I’m the one driving here, so maybe next time use your words?!”

Kaldwin shot me a disdainful glance, laying the pistol in her lap once more, though this time pointed decidedly more toward me. “There’s some kind of gate ahead,” she said, pointing ahead with her free hand. “Pull over up there.”

“Yes, your highness,” I said, mockingly, before remembering her status as literal royalty. “And I mean that disparagingly.”