Progeny of Horror

"Where are you going anyway?" came the little girl's voice behind her.

Frederica spun around with an "Eep!" and then she said "It's you!"

"He is coming..." the girl intoned creepily, pointing down the corridor.

Frederica glanced back but there was no one coming. "Who's coming? Is someone after you?"

The girl seemed to snap awake. "Oh. Sorry, I seem to have spaced out again." she giggled.

"Please tell me... do you know what's going on? What's happened to me?" Frederica asked.

"I think you already know." the girl said glumly.

"Was I... violated? While I was in a coma?" Frederica whispered.

"It was an experiment conducted in absolute secrecy by a league of superscientists." the girl said, abruptly appearing behind Frederica again. "A long time ago, the combined efforts of several agencies enabled them to obtain a DNA sample from the being known as Happyman. Since then, they have been obsessed with creating their own. You were their initial triumph - the first successful splice of a human embryo and chaotic happymatter."

"I'm not sure I understand all that." Frederica said. "But please tell me something... who are you?"

"I think you already know." the girl said, blushing.

Frederica gasped. Yes, she could see it - the same curly blonde hair, the same eyes and nose... the family resemblance was unmistakable. But how could this be? She knelt down to hug the girl, but she vanished. "Don't be stupid!" the girl's voice came behind her. "I'm only a projection you know. I just wanted to get you out of that monkey cage before the assassins came."

"Assassins?" Frederica asked.

"Well duh!" the girl said, sticking her tongue out at Frederica. "My dad mercilessly destroyed entire dimensions just for fun, and this experiment is nowhere near as secret as the scientists think it is. Right now, bounty hunters and crusaders everywhere are competing to find me. The Multiverse calls out for revenge, and I'm sure that even the Office of Good will look the other way while the hunt commences.

"To tell you the truth," the girl continued, looking down at Frederica's feet, "Maybe it would better if I wasn't born at all. Maybe if you gave me over to them they would spare you."

"Don't talk garbage, young lady!" Frederica snapped. "Your father's crimes are no fault of yours. And no one will lay a single finger on you as long as I draw breath, by every holy vow I ever swore."

"Thanks mom." the little girl grinned. "That really makes me feel better, what with the legions of cybernetic assassins bearing down to slaughter us and all."

"You're quite cheeky for a fetus." Frederica said with annoyance. "You get back in the womb right now young lady, and take a nap. Let mother worry about the assassins.

"Fine." the girl said, yawning and sitting down. "Projecting like this is very tiring, and creating that ripple in reality to get you out of that place really took a lot out of me. Good night, mom! Glad you're awake now! Love you!"

She vanished and Frederica was left alone with a tornado of emotions. "I love you." she whispered. Belatedly, she realized she had forgotten to ask her unborn daughter some key questions - like, where the heck were they?

"She's a sweet child, but a bit strange." Frederica thought. "I shall have to teach her proper court manners, so that she grows up to be a perfect young lady. No destroying worlds for her, no sir! Oh, and what should I name her..."

But a strange, uneasy sensation tugged at Frederica's heart - telling her that her daughter's life, and her own, would be anything but pleasant and normal.

She took another turn and suddenly ended up in a long hall lined with weapons. Each lay on a pedestal, like in some sort of museum, and each was clearly labeled on little cards.

"Interesting." Frederica mused. "Seems like the set-up for a trap. But if my little darling brought us to this world it can't be too dangerous. And I will need a weapon if I hope to protect her."

She looks over the weapons, finding them to be an odd but interesting collection, and chooses...

1. A blacksteel two-handed axe, labeled "Velakrom the Earthsplitter, cause of the Brother War."
2. An elegant longsword made of a silvery metal and labeled "Prince Kujaku's sword from the 18th century dynastic wars."
3. A strange metal and plastic tube thing labeled "Neutron Rifle, 28th century, fired only once in the Robotman Wars."
4. A wood and metal device labeled a "AK-47, never fired and only dropped once."
5. An extremely heavy metallic tube labeled "Gravitonic Disruptor, do not test fire on occupied planets, circa 3036."
6. Bag of 18 small, very heavy black metal eggs labeled "Black Egg planet bombs, handle with care."
7. A shining lance labeled the "Kyrie Eleison, weapon of the Valkyrie princess Sollene, 4th century Radiance Wars"
8. Heavy leatherbound book labeled "Necromancer's tome, never opened since 4th century Radiance Wars."
9. A strangely nondescript black whip, labeled "Binatomic Whip, used in the genocide of Parmians during the Nebulus Pact dissolution.

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