Frozen Horrors, Frozen North - Kit's epilogue
[from here]
November 29, 1934
2:46 AM
Kit's already rolled back up to her feet before she realizes that she's not where she was a moment ago. The ground is hardwood rather than ice; the light is coming from an overhead lamp rather than a flickering, swirling aurora; and, instead of a crazed Russian cultist, there's a familiar man in a red mask rushing toward her.
"Squirrel! Are you alright?"
"Boss?" She blinks up at him in bewilderment. "You--the--what just happened?"
"It took some doing, but we managed to retrieve you." That voice would belong to the portly man whom Kit recognizes as Maxwell Falconi, aka The Stranger. "Welcome home, Miss Squirrel."
"B-but--I--we were--" She looks around frantically, panting, adrenaline-giddy. Now she recognizes her surroundings--they're in the Royal Museum, in one of the currently-unused rooms. Seventy-three years and hundreds of miles away from Dr. Stantz, and Matochkin, and Tyler...
She whirls and grabs the Stranger by the lapels. "Ya gotta send me back. Now."
"Back?" The Red Panda is stunned.
"There is no 'back,' Squirrel," says Falconi. "It was difficult enough to bring you here, let alone trying to reverse the process. Why would you wish to--"
"We're in the middle of a war, that's why! We were fightin' off these cultists tryin' to summon something to destroy the whole world, and you had ta pull me back here right when I was in the middle of it! There's a kid there, couldn't be more than ten years old, an' he's fightin' for his life--for everyone's life--and I can't protect him because I'm stuck here!" She sags to her knees on the floor, fighting back tears.
The Stranger is thunderstruck. "I'm... I'm so sorry, child. I had no idea..."
"There was nothing else we could do, Squirrel," says the Red Panda softly, laying a hand gently on her shoulder. "Had we not acted when we did, you might have been trapped on another plane for the rest of your life. But if I'd known what you were up against..."
"I know." She lets go of Falconi's jacket and reaches up to touch the hand on her shoulder. "I just... I coulda saved him. I know I could."
A small, sad smile crosses the Stranger's face. "You may already have."
Blink. Blink. "What?"
"From what I was told by Lady Pri'ann, your task in the other world was finished. You may not have been able to save the boy, but through your actions you have saved that world from destruction."
"I did? Well, that's a--wait." Her eyes narrow. "Lady Pri'ann set all this up?!"
"That was more or less my reaction," says the Red Panda. "I think we need to have a very long talk with that woman."
Kit scowls. "Talkin' ain't what I've got in mind."
The Stranger clears his throat rather loudly. "If you have no further need of me," he says, "I should take my leave. I fear I may have overtaxed myself already."
"You've been a great help, Stranger," says the Red Panda. "We're both very grateful, aren't we, Squirrel?"
"...yeah, I guess."
The Stranger chuckles. "Until we meet again, then." A purplish glow envelops him, and he vanishes.
"...So. What exactly were you doing that got you into that war?" asks the Red Panda, after a moment of awkward silence.
Kit shakes her head. "Boss, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me."
"...well, okay. It started like this..."
November 29, 1934
2:46 AM
Kit's already rolled back up to her feet before she realizes that she's not where she was a moment ago. The ground is hardwood rather than ice; the light is coming from an overhead lamp rather than a flickering, swirling aurora; and, instead of a crazed Russian cultist, there's a familiar man in a red mask rushing toward her.
"Squirrel! Are you alright?"
"Boss?" She blinks up at him in bewilderment. "You--the--what just happened?"
"It took some doing, but we managed to retrieve you." That voice would belong to the portly man whom Kit recognizes as Maxwell Falconi, aka The Stranger. "Welcome home, Miss Squirrel."
"B-but--I--we were--" She looks around frantically, panting, adrenaline-giddy. Now she recognizes her surroundings--they're in the Royal Museum, in one of the currently-unused rooms. Seventy-three years and hundreds of miles away from Dr. Stantz, and Matochkin, and Tyler...
She whirls and grabs the Stranger by the lapels. "Ya gotta send me back. Now."
"Back?" The Red Panda is stunned.
"There is no 'back,' Squirrel," says Falconi. "It was difficult enough to bring you here, let alone trying to reverse the process. Why would you wish to--"
"We're in the middle of a war, that's why! We were fightin' off these cultists tryin' to summon something to destroy the whole world, and you had ta pull me back here right when I was in the middle of it! There's a kid there, couldn't be more than ten years old, an' he's fightin' for his life--for everyone's life--and I can't protect him because I'm stuck here!" She sags to her knees on the floor, fighting back tears.
The Stranger is thunderstruck. "I'm... I'm so sorry, child. I had no idea..."
"There was nothing else we could do, Squirrel," says the Red Panda softly, laying a hand gently on her shoulder. "Had we not acted when we did, you might have been trapped on another plane for the rest of your life. But if I'd known what you were up against..."
"I know." She lets go of Falconi's jacket and reaches up to touch the hand on her shoulder. "I just... I coulda saved him. I know I could."
A small, sad smile crosses the Stranger's face. "You may already have."
Blink. Blink. "What?"
"From what I was told by Lady Pri'ann, your task in the other world was finished. You may not have been able to save the boy, but through your actions you have saved that world from destruction."
"I did? Well, that's a--wait." Her eyes narrow. "Lady Pri'ann set all this up?!"
"That was more or less my reaction," says the Red Panda. "I think we need to have a very long talk with that woman."
Kit scowls. "Talkin' ain't what I've got in mind."
The Stranger clears his throat rather loudly. "If you have no further need of me," he says, "I should take my leave. I fear I may have overtaxed myself already."
"You've been a great help, Stranger," says the Red Panda. "We're both very grateful, aren't we, Squirrel?"
"...yeah, I guess."
The Stranger chuckles. "Until we meet again, then." A purplish glow envelops him, and he vanishes.
"...So. What exactly were you doing that got you into that war?" asks the Red Panda, after a moment of awkward silence.
Kit shakes her head. "Boss, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me."
"...well, okay. It started like this..."