Timeskip/Setting the Stage

Included Characters

 * Lee Prower
 * Amber the Razor-Fox

Story
Amber slipped her headphones off, sticking them in the backpack with her CDs and lifting the item onto her back. The DJ hopped off the stage, heading for the exit.

She was the only one in the building, and as expected, it was her job to lock up for the night. The Razor-Fox danced her way to the exit as the music played inside her head. The lock was slid into place, Amber turning to walk home. A figure stepped out of a nearby alleyway, the dim light obscuring their features. The person's heat signatures showed up on Amber's sensors, alerting her to their presence. Several blocks later, the person had been following her for some time now, the variables of this situation unnerving Amber greatly.

When the stalker got closer, Amber's blade popped out and she moved to bring it down on the person. A glowing, turquoise-cyan shield kept the arrow-shaped weapon from moving forward. A pair of familiar blue eyes stared at her through the translucent wall.

"L-Lee..?" She asked, retracting her blade.

"Hey, Amb'." Lee replied, standing upright and retracting his shield.

Amber had so many questions, they came out as babble. "Where have you bee-- where... what? why?"

Lee put a hand on her shoulder. "Come along, dinner's on me.... we need to talk." The Hybrid turned to walk away with his sister.

A short while later, Amber found herself in The Broken Accordion, an Italian restaurant and cornerstone to Downtown Mobotropolis.

"OK, one question at a time," Lee told her, looking over the menu.

She sighed, looking at her brother. "Where have you been for the last few months?"

He set the menu down to explain. "Remember a year or so ago, when you ... gazed me, or whatever you call it? And you told me there was something up with my soul?"

Amber tilted her head. "Yeah..."

"Well, after a lot of experimenting, some legal, some not; I found out that SolTech was a side-effect of... my soul leaking. That's why I could do things neither of my siblings could." He sighed. "So for about the last few months, I've been working on meditation,"

"Meditation?" Amber asked.

Lee held his hand up, palm facing the ceiling. "To try and fix my soul."

"Did it work?"

Lee grimaced. "Yes, yes it did."

"That's great! Let's go tell everybody, they'll be so excited you're back!"

A weak smile crept across his face.

"Wh-what's wrong?"

Lee's hand flickered and lit up. "I'll show you," After a few second, the flicker grew, then went out all at once. "SolTech is gone."

"You mean...?"

He slipped his hand into his pocket. "I'm useless again,"

Amber ground her teeth together. “Don’t you dare say that, Lee. That power… SolTech, do you know where its true power was?”

Lee looked up at her.

“It was in your head, you were the strength of SolTech, you made it work, it’s nothing without Lee Dryden Prower.” She put a finger on his forehead for emphasis.

“Yeah, but…”

“No butts,” She said, then stifled a giggle.

Lee smiled, eventually joining Amber as they burst into laughter. He slowed after a second, giving her a sincere smile. “How do you always see the truth?” He said, looking into Amber’s eyes.

Her Soulgazing kicked in, every thought and memory of his open to her.

“You’re doing that thing right now, aren’t you?”

“Y-Yeah,” she responded. “How’d you know?”

“Because I’ve never seen anything so pure before.” He chuckled. “No wonder you’re an optimist.”

She grinned. “I think we-- you should order now.”

“Yeah, probably.”

Predictably, Lee ordered ravioli and waited for it to arrive.

“So how have things been since I left?”

“Uh, let me think… Link has a job flying things that aren’t finished, I keep expecting him to come home with a green ring. Cassie is a model and is in line for Bright Horizons ownership, Flyby had you in mind… but then you kept vanishing.” The Razor-Fox informed him.

“Meh, I’m not cut out to run a company. I bet Cassie is catching some eyes in modeling, though.”

“So what are you gonna do?”

“Eh, who cares. Who’d Link wind up with?”

“I don’t remember, actually… they travel a lot,” Amber replied, spinning a spoon like a top. “How are Dee and Forge?”

“They’re fine, travelling gave them a lot to look at.” He said. “Found an RV and we set up camp a few blocks away.”

“It’s funny, things used to be so simple… what happened?”

Lee blinked. “We grew up, Amber.”