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At first as Elaine awakened, slowly stirring to consciousness she was uncertain of her surroundings. She was in a bed, a real bed, and for just a moment she allowed herself to think that maybe  all of this nightmare had been a dream. The disaster with the hero, the trip to the containment center, the encounter with Nightmare. But then as the sleep stopped fogging her brain she realized, this wasn't her bed, and this certainly wasn't her dorm room, and with that her eyes snapped open and she sat up.

The room was dim, with the light coming mostly from a hallway as the door to the room was partly open. It was an odd place, luxurious certainly and with fine trappings. But they were eclectic, various statues lining shelves, old paintings, books of all kinds. It wasn't what she would have expected as she rose up from the bed. And if she was right then this was where she had been brought by some of the most dangerous people in the entire city.

She was starting to panic as she stood but with an effort of sheer will managed to clamp down on it. If this really was Nightmare and his followers, and they had brought her to what she could only guess was a base of theirs, then there was a decent chance the plan wasn't to kill her and going hysterical wouldn't help. With that in mind the young woman steadied herself and then stepped out of the room and into the hallway. 

The door swung shut behind her and she walked down, away from the room and towards the end of the corridor before emerging into what appeared to be a living room. There were a number of thick chairs, a roaring fire in a fireplace, and a pair of people sitting in two of the chairs. 

One was a man who looked like he had seen better days. He was large and powerful looking but his face was weathered and somewhat wrinkled, though not old, and his hands too looked all battered. He wore a leather coat that was patched and fraying in places and his eyes were a dark blue black that seemed to look right through her. His expression was unreadable and at first he said nothing.

The other was a woman, a woman who seemed to embody a certain form of beauty. She was regal, stunning, doll-like in her features and with long black hair that cascaded down her back. But the left side of her face seemed to be frozen in a slight frown, a strange condition that marred her appearance notably. Unlike the man her clothes were fine and in good condition and she did not seem weathered in the slightest. And it was she who spoke first as Elaine arrived. "I see our guest has woken up." A comment to which Elaine only nodded. "Welcome to our humble current dwelling. I am Soulfire, or Helen, and this is Nightmare, or Jack and it is our pleasure to have someone with your talents here."

For a moment Elaine simply stood there. This didn't sound threatening, and these people, they were the forces that were so terrifying the city? Why, they looked like normal people, just like her. "Wasn't there a third one of you before?" She said at last.

And this time it was the man who replied in a somewhat rumbling but very human voice. "The Cannibal king is out slaking his own needs tonight."

"Why am I here? I mean, I appreciate the rescue and all but why would you go out of your way to get me and bring me here? I'm a joke, I lost to Lyger."

"Yes, you did. But tell me child have you ever fought with your powers before? Have you had any experience, and before you speak I know the answer. But you have power and we offer you a chance to learn that power, to use that power, and to be free. Your life is gone now, but a new life is waiting." The woman spoke, her voice clear and sweet as she did so. "Jack thinks I'm putting too much faith in a long shot but it is my turn, and the Cannibal King would eat you but I see in you the seeds of greatness."

"You want me to join a gang of murderers?" Elaine blurted out quickly in surprise, wishing she had been able to think before she had said that, now she was surely about to pay for it. 

But instead of sudden death or torture came surprisingly amiable laughter from the two. "No" Came the voice of the man. "We want you to join a group of those who are free, petty laws, pointless rules, they have no power over us. We do as we please take what we want, kill those who oppose us, or for fun, or for whatever reasons we want. But it's not just killing. We each have a turn to choose and that choice reigns. But tell me, wouldn't you wish the man who put you in that van dead, wouldn't you wish for your revenge."

"When it is your night, your will directs and imagine what we can do, what you can do to him with our guidance and aid. We welcome you. Besides someone has to wipe that smug look of old mol- the Cannibal King's face. He says no one can make the cut anymore, lets prove him wrong."

Elaine really didn't know how to take it. On one hand these were the monsters, on the other, her life was in ruins, that damned lyger had done this to her, and she did hate him, she did want revenge, in a single few moments he had stolen her life from her, and if these were the monsters, they really didn't seem all that bad, they were people and they were offering her a place. "You'll need a name" Came the woman's voice again to cut through her thoughts and Elaine finally replied. "Yes, I will." And then as she took on her new place she smiled, a smile that let some of the anger and rage she felt at her situation show through, a smile that the other two monsters in the room returned.