Egypt
N/A: Anubis is not getting paid enough to deal with this.
To say that Fortress City is odd would be the understatement of the Milenio. This city has all the normal things you would expect in any city, malls, jails, noisy neighbours and schools, yet, Kitty can recall how most of the neighbours leave for a few days to visit the lake.
Nothing odd in that, per se, except that Kitty was in the lake on that day and she saw no one. The cats often refrain Kitty to ever go with, in their words, ''people'' because they smell bad(a fact she can´t dispute) and they had bad intentions.
Terry and Cameron are slowly getting used to this new life. His job is coming steady and he is getting along with everyone, and Terry is enjoying the city(even if Miss Presley insist on being way too friendly with her husband)
"Terry, are we going to have salmon?" a voice jolted Terry from her inner thoughts and she almost recoils in fear as a fluffy white cat is asking this directly to her.
"No, not today, today we´ll have chicken, by the way, where is Kitty?" she asked trying to be natural. Trying.
"Training, of course"
______________________________________________
The neighbours such as Miss Presley can´t overlook how the Prydes have an abundance of cats lately. One call for the health department was made, of course.
Sadly for Miss Presley, nothing comes out of this. The cats aren´t in no danger or the house is in any bad state(the hygiene of the house is pristine as the officer did conclude to them) so they cannot get rid of the cats.
"What if...we kill them?" one suggests and was shot down immediately.
"You fool, never harm a cat...unless you want to die by IT" Miss Presley explains and the fool realize his almost mistake.
"And the child?" someone suggests, "our master says all life is sacred but is that life is linked to cats...does still have any protection?"
"I don´t know..the cats have to meddle with humans before, remember that girl, Coraline?" they nod and Miss Presley thinks for a moment "but is indeed odd how they are spending so much time with one human girl"
_______________________________
Mr Pryde returns home earlier and greets the cat, a black cat, with respect as if the cat is his boss(well, maybe the cat is his boss. The detail was never fully explained) and goes to see his wife.
"Hi, darling," he said kissing her.
"I´m not unhappy to see you earlier but is everything alright ?"
"Yes, well, it seems the people in this city like tradition and we still aren´t allowed to see what happen behind curtains" is all the explanation he can give and she understands.
"That folk, Xavier, tried to speak with us again," Terry said worriedly.
"About our daughter?" Cameron asked and Terry nods.
"She´s a mutant and will be better off in England with him, I told him, no, of course, but ...are we doing the right thing?"
Is not Cameron or Terry that reply. It was the cats.
"Yes, she is a mutant, of course, but, she is also a child and needs to learn before going with whatever happens in the life of a mutant" it´s a bit eerie that the cats, black and white, speak in unison. And is even creepier than Terry and Cameron agree.
"Where is Kitty?"
"Training"
_______________________
Jupiter has for today an orange fur, the cat explains that he can shapeshifter if he so wishes. Kitty is sitting in a lotus position, 17 years old and has a cat as a sensei and she finds this amusing. Well, why not see the good side of things? As she is in that position she starts to noodle something...she saw in her dream.
Jupiter the cat is talking about their final task, but, stops once seeing what Kitty is noodling.
"Kitty, what is this?" the cat asked jumping into her shoulder making the teenager think of Pikachu.
"Oh, you always talk about lucid dreams and we are always training for this as well, that, well, I decide to draw what I saw last night. My dream was the same, I was in school and I was controlling the situation" the cat nods" I didn´t enter in the gym because I didn´t want to enter there, instead, I went to the second floor" the cat nods approving this " and well, this is what I remember"
The cat sees the mass of eyes and mouth and nods approving. "What this means? Can I take this out of my dream?"
"No...not yet, you saw him in your school?"
"Well, I think it wasn´t the school anymore when I was there"
The cat assures her this is fine all lucid dreamers deal with that. "And why I must know how to be a lucid dreamer again?"
"Mutants have to deal with other mutants messing with their mind, now, if you are a ludic dreamer you have an advantage against them...do you want to be a target for Jean Grey or Emma Frost?" Kitty shakes her head.
"Then, let´s go to the final test and then we will eat...not salmon" the cat laments and Kitty promises that the chicken is good too. She pets his head and this consoles him enough. "Before we go on, Kitty, how many dimensions you think it exists?"
Kitty ponders that for a while. "Well, at first I thought it was just 3 or at least 4, but, now, I think is endless. We still have to find a way to travel through dimensions, all of them, but...well, is what I think I know"
"Good answer, but, is incomplete, however, you forget to mention you can phase through dimensions." Kitty blinks at this and the cat explains that when Kitty phases through an object she can also phase through its dimension.
The cat doesn´t reveal how this is unique.
Kitty looks at her hands for a moment. "How can I control where I will land?"
"With your mind, Kitten," he said and the cat still on her shoulder says "let´s try something easy, I´ll tell you about a place and you will vision and phase there, ok?" Kitty is a bit afraid and Jupiter comforts her "I´m here with you, if you can´t do it today is fine, remember I´m here. Don´t be afraid"
Kitty nods. Closes her eyes and let Jupiter(once she said she is ready) tell about this new location.
_____________________________________
"I did it?" Kitty looks to this dimension that looks like Ancient Egypt, with one big difference. There are two moons. One yellow and one red. The cat is looking at the moons as if challenging them.
"Jupiter?" she calls and Jupiter stops staring defiantly at the moon to give more instructions to Kitty.
"Kitten, your mission is simple, but, complex, we must go to Anubis and you must resolve the puzzle...no human as ever managed to finish that puzzle and no before you ask, if you fail you won´t turn into sand or whatever you are thinking...those fictional books you read don´t care for safety of children?"
Kitty is talking about how amazing it is to be able to phase through dimensions and if she can teleport, the cat explains she can´t, but, if she goes well Jupiter can teach a teleportation spell to her.
Jupiter ignores the two moons that are gone now.
_________________________________________
Anubis is on patrol having to guard whatever is inside, frankly, Anubis does not care. He hates his boos and hates his mini-bosses as well. His resting bitch expression does not change when Kitty and Jupiter arrive.
"Hi?" Kitty said and Anubis sighs and is rubbing his temples. "Anubis, can we get in?"
"I don´t get enough to deal with this!" Anubis said looking only to Jupiter "I can see why IT likes you so much, but, enough is enough..."
Kitty looks around waiting for Anubis to give more info´s about Jupiter´s boss(the cat is really secretive about this, which says something because Jupiter loves to talk) and all she gets is Anubis does not like this dude.
"You´re evil just like IT" Anubis said and Jupiter is not happy.
"Good and evil are points of view, sure you can understand that, now, should we fight to get in or you will be a good dog and let us in?" Jupiter said a bit cold.
"I hate my job!" he said and let the two enter. As Kitty is entering in the location(is a pyramid? is a cave? is hard to say it is always changing looks outside) she hears Anubis say one last thing before the door is closed. " Tell the Dark pharaoh, whatever happens, I take no part in this"
"He knows" Jupiter respond.
And prompt Kitty to follow him. The words dark pharaoh are in her mind.
"Who is the Dark Pharaoh?"
"My boss, Kitten, he has many names and faces," Jupiter said hoping she won´t make more questions about this. "and you will meet him, if you want, much later, he...does not like pupils"Jupiter is not lying but he knows he can´t stay in this thin line any longer.
And what you will do, my dear Jupiter?
Shut up, you old thing, I´m thinking and if you aren´t so ...you, we wouldn´t have to resort to this.
No reply and Jupiter is happy.
_______________________________________________
The puzzle is nothing more than crosswords, but, the catch is that was written in an ancient language. Kitty ponders for a moment, she never saw this language before, yet, she feels that she can solve this puzzle.
Meanwhile, Jupiter is there giving support, but, not giving answers.
Eventually, I will have to meet her
Well, everything is eventually. And since when you care for a human? Unless you want to admit I´m right.
The silence is a small victory Jupiter can take. Yes, Kitty is too young and small to deal with his...boss, but, eventually, she will be ready and he knows( with all his 9 lives) that Kitty will be perfect for this. She will be the one.
"Done!" Kitty states and Jupiter sees the crosswords complete in a correct way and hand a small present to Kitty. "Will, I ever meet your boss, truly?"
"....eventually!" Jupiter promised and Kitty looks as if she wants to ask more, she´s too clever sometimes, but, instead said Jupiter promised to teach her a spell of teleportation. "Fine, but after dinner, I´m hungry"
As Kitty is out of the pyramid/cave/whatever she notices the moons are gone. Yet, the name Dark Pharaoh´s name still lingers in her mind.